


The Stars Kept Marching

by BlaiddDrwg1982



Series: All These Little Wonders [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Atypical Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Author is NOT wasting chapters detailing the road trip, BAMF Stiles, Beta Boyd, Beta Erica, Beta Kira Yukimura, Braeden Doesn't Suck In This One, Character Death, Derek is a Good Boyfriend, Explicit Consent, F/M, Fake Names, First Time, Forests, Fox Stiles, Knotting, M/M, Marriage, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Not Beta Read, Omega Stiles Stilinski, Semi-major character death, Stiles Stilinski & Kira Yukimura Bromance, Stiles Stilinski in Heat, Stilinski house fire, Tags and Characters Will Update As I Write, They drove. That's it., Traditions Need A Shake Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-02-08 08:35:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12860814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlaiddDrwg1982/pseuds/BlaiddDrwg1982
Summary: Looking back to Beacon Hills general direction, Stiles nodded his head in understanding. He was dead. Not literally, but at this point, he may as well have been.“Stiles is dead.”Pulling out the fake ID, he chuckled, showing them.“I’m Mike now. Mike Carrier.”Smiling sad smiles, they watched him get back into his Jeep and drive off.





	1. Chapter 1

Stiles knew when he woke up that morning for school that something wasn’t sitting right. Something bad was going to happen and there was no way that he’d be able to stop it. His parents smiled and shook their heads, reassuring him as they always did that things were going to be just fine. He felt a measure of guilt over the fact they always seemed to have to do this when there was something unsettling that he was feeling. Claudia and John would never for one instance begrudge their son a moment of security. 

He chalked it up to his Fox, but he had to admit there was the small factor of him being an Omega that didn’t help. Growing up, the motto seemed to always be, “A Submissive Omega is a Happy Omega.” He also chalked up the fact that he wasn’t particularly submissive to be part of the reason why he was never extremely happy. His parents, both Betas, seemed to encourage what his teachers saw as his “Anti-social” tendencies. He pushed himself physically to put on as much muscle as he could, and tended to study subjects on the sly that would be deemed “Inappropriate” for him to be learning, but it was the 21st century so no one could TECHNICALLY stop him. His dad taught him how to defend himself, and his mom taught him how to use his natural skills and gifts to keep out of trouble. 

They both taught him that he didn’t have to roll over for any Alpha who looked his way. 

Looking at him, he was of a more slender frame, but his strength was there in his wiry muscles. His fox nature helped with the speed and cunning. 

But he couldn’t shake the dark cloud that hung over his head all day. He knew he wasn’t even close to his next heat, given that he’d just finished it last week. He had taught himself to ride the waves of discomfort that he would be overcome with alone, not needing an Alpha to help him through it. He may have been born an Omega, but he wasn’t going to let that define him. 

Though, to the public he wore the same face that they expected of him. He’d be an excellent actor, if his biological caste was permitted to act that is. His parents didn’t believe in the caste system that society seemed to enforce, but really, who was going to stand up to the Alphas that seemed to rule the world. He’d seen a few of his friends roll over as soon as the first Alpha walked by. 

He hadn’t, and he’d been ‘gifted’ with a punch in the gut for his defiance. The teachers had disciplined the Alpha, for sure, but there was always the undercurrent that they thought he should just do what was expected of him. It was embarrassing enough for the school that he and Lydia, another Omega, were top of the academic charts, without having them humiliate the few Alphas that they went to school with. Not that the teachers were saying he had to sleep with them, but showing a little submission wouldn’t hurt his pride. 

No. It wouldn’t hurt his pride.

It would kill him.

So, looking up at the front of the class room, he exchanged a look with Lydia as Deputy Parrish walked into the room with US Marshal Braeden. He knew them both from the station. Parrish was his father’s second in command, and Braeden was technically the Alpha in Charge of Beacon County’s police force. Regulations demanded at least one Alpha in every location to police their own. 

She gladly let Stiles’ dad do his job though, one time stating when she came over for dinner, “I’m not going to fix what isn’t broken John.” 

She was about the only Alpha that Stiles liked. The fact she never tried to pull the “Alpha shit” with him that others tried with him definitely helped. Her showing him how to mix a masking agent to cover his Omega pheromones clinched it. She’d taken a minor in Chemistry, and explained that she’d worked on the masking chemical to help her sister, another Omega, cover her scent to prove that even people like Stiles could serve in law enforcement. The law of the land stood and she’d been expelled from the Academy she was attending, but the Equality Institute very quickly hired her for their private security team. 

Closing his books when Parrish looked his way, he put them in his bag on instinct. Being beckoned out of the classroom, he followed them both silently until they were far enough away from the classrooms that the people with heightened hearing wouldn’t be able to hear.

“What happened?”

Jordan and Braeden exchanged a look.

“You need to come with us down to the station Stiles.”

Feeling a cold and heavy weight sink into his gut, he felt the world tilt underneath him. Going to the station…and it wasn’t his Mother picking him up. Or his Father.

“Wh…”

“I’ll explain it on the way. Marshall Braeden will take your keys and bring your Jeep.”

Stiles mutely nodded and handed the keys over. This was bad. This was very very bad. Looking back down the hallway, it seemed to stretch out for miles. They weren’t too far from period change and with the furtive looks Jordan was giving the doors, he knew they wanted to be gone as soon as possible. 

Following them out to the parking lot, Stiles walked with Jordan to the Cruiser while Braeden cleared the distance to his Jeep in no time. Buckling up, he looked in the back seat and saw there were several large duffel bags on the back seat. At least he wasn’t being arrested, though for what, he wouldn’t know how to even start to guess. Well…a little computer hacking maybe.

Jordan threw the vehicle in gear and pulled out of the lot, Braeden following closely behind. Beacon Hills wasn’t a particularly large town, so Stiles expected it wouldn’t take that long to get to the station. Looking over at Parrish with a nervous grin, his heart all but stopped at the deathly pale look on his face. Parrish was technically human, but there was a little something extra to him that no one could quite put their finger on. 

“You’re scaring me.”

As they zoomed past the station, Stiles when from code yellow to code red. Something was definitely not right about this situation. He was on the road taking them out of town by way of the State Park on the eastern border of town. Jordan gave no indication of speaking, but tried to give Stiles as many reassuring looks as he could while trying to keep them from going off the road.

After half an hour, he slowed down and pulled off the road, down a small barely used service road that was thickly overgrown. Braeden followed behind, looking none the worse for wear. Once Parrish had pulled to a complete stop beside what looked like a warped vehicle, he scrambled out of the car. 

“What’s going on. You promised you’d tell me what was going on.”

Stiles was doing everything he could to keep the fear from bubbling over, so naturally he shift that to anger. He’d learned when facing down school yard bullies before he’d presented as an Omega that you couldn’t be afraid very easily if you were so pissed off you were seeing red. 

“What do you know about the organization ‘Every One’s Right.’”

Stiles was very proud of the fact he didn’t let his jaw hit the floor.

“It’s an activist organization that pushes to grant Omegas like me equal rights with everyone else, and bring down the Alphas a peg or two.”

They’d actually been the group responsible for the class action lawsuit that allowed teenagers like Stiles to attend normal schools, and take all the same subjects their counter parts did. Time was people like him were kept educated ‘enough’ to be able to run the household for their mate, but more pushes for equal rights and equal access were coming every day. 

“Some call it terrorist.”

“Some people need to check their fucking privilege. If you think I’m part of that…”

Braeden shook her head.

“Not at all Stiles. We know you aren’t. The problem is that your parents were.”

“Were? You mean…”

He can’t articulate it, but the heavy feeling in his stomach was threatening to come up.

“Braeden. We talked about this.”

“He needs to know Jordan.”

“But…”

“DEPUTY Parrish. If you won’t tell him I will.”

Stiles was impressed for a moment. She didn’t pull that heady ‘Alpha’ crap to push him. Just good old fashioned work place fear.

“Your parents were founding members of the organization and their involvement was recently uncovered. While Every One’s Right is a legitimate activist group there are those who find their activities to be unsettling. Calling them terrorists at worse. Given your parents highly visible jobs they could be loud supporters but they were loud enough.”

Parrish glared at her, allowing her to take over.

“We aren’t sure who found out or how, but this morning shortly after you left for school, someone broke into your house and…I’m sorry Stiles. The fire department came…went…and did what they could but.”

Stiles braced himself for what he knew was coming.

“They were dead before the fire began.”

“Did they…was it…”

“Quick?”

“Painful.”

Braeden shrugged her shoulders. She’d never been one to treat him with kid gloves and wasn’t about to start. She didn’t see a meek Omega standing in front of her who needed coddling and comfort. She saw a young man who was strong because of what his parents taught him.

“No. It wasn’t painful. They were shot point blank in the back of the head, from what forensics could tell. Any pain they felt probably didn’t register.”

Stiles nodded his head, before promptly doubling over and throwing up his lunch on the forest floor. Letting the dry heaves take over, he staggered back against a stump. Clenching his eyes shut he tried to will away the image of his Mom and Dad’s last moment, terrified and knowing what was coming. Feeling a cold fire build in his guts, he looked up at two of his parents most trusted friends. Likely, they were also parts of the same organization that had been responsible for killing his parents.

“Why are we out here?”

Braeden raised a smug eye brow at Parrish who scowled at her. Begrudgingly he pulled out an 8.5 x 11 photo of a photo that was attached to a tree by way of knife. Stiles parents’ faces were scratched out and an arrow pointed at Stiles’ own face. Underneath was written in a messy scrawl, ‘Next’.

Feeling the blood drain from his face, he watched Parrish and Braeden unload 5 very large and very heavy looking duffel bags from Parrish’s car, and they set them down beside the tarped off vehicle. Pulling off the tarp, Stiles felt a small smile twitch across his face for a half second. He just found out someone wanted him to join his parents so he wasn’t too mirthful. But he was happy to see his Mom’s old Jeep. It wasn’t much to look at, but he knew from experience of fixing it up with his Mom, that it still ran like a dream.

Walking over to it, he sighed.

“What’s in the bags?”

Braeden crouched down and pulled them all open. 1 held all manners of clothes and toiletries. In large sealed containers was also most of the ingredient he’d need to make the scent blocker. 1 held what looked like computer equipment, and various ID cards. He had no doubt most of them were fake but would tie back to a real person of similar name and description, probably with thanks to Braeden’s connections. Hard currency filled the third bag. He didn’t even want to think about how much was in there. The fourth bag had all manners of non-perishable provisions and the fifth one was a bag that he’d never want to be caught with in his possession. 

“Weapons?”

“You know how to shoot, Stiles.”

He knew how to shoot. His Dad had taught him, Parrish had also worked with him. He wasn’t squeamish around guns, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled with them on principle. Knowing someone was gunning for him did nothing to calm his fears. 

“You need to disappear. We don’t know how long, but you need to go. Far far away and lay low. There are a dozen burner phones in the tech bag. As tempting as it is, you can’t contact anyone from school. Your friends. What’s left of your family. None of them can know you’re still alive or else they’re going to be targeted to get to you. The burner phones are emergency only. We have programmed them with our burners as well though, so if you need to reach out…”

Stiles was doing his best to not hyperventilate. This was too organized. Too planned.

“Who…”

He indicated the bags.

“Your Mom wanted to make sure that if anything happened, you’d be safe.”

Feeling the tears well up, he couldn’t help but laugh. This was a very Claudia Stilinski thing to do. Camping trips with her were always excessive.

“How are we going to sell that I’m dead then?”

Braeden shrugged as she zipped the bags up and put them in the back of his Mom’s old Jeep.

“We have a body that matches your description and have switched the dental records for him with yours. We are going to put him in the Jeep and blow it up.”

Stiles just about fainted. He shouldn’t be surprised, but still…with how she was about it, he was really REALLY glad she was on his side. 

Doing what he could to help them out, he stripped out of his clothes and put on something fresh. He could tell by the lingering menthol scent that these clothes had been treated with scent blocker. Helping them dress the corpse was out of the question. Taking a moment to dump the data from his cell phone into one of the computers external drives, much to Braeden’s annoyance, but with Parrish’s support, he stuffed the phone into the pocket he’d normally have his phone in. Pulling the cash from his wallet, he left the rest of his ID in it and tossed it on the passenger seat, same as he would normally do. Going through the duffel with the ID in it, he grabbed out a bag that had all the necessary ID one normally carried with them. Making a mental note to pick up a couple cheap wallets on his journey, he sighed. 

Watching Braeden line up the shot through the windshield, he winced as the body in the Jeep jerked at the bullet impact. Helping them slosh the gas in and on the Jeep, he watched with more than a little regret as his Jeep was engulfed in flames. Stepping back from the fire, they’d pulled the two vehicles out and away, needing to put some distance between them and the fire. Hearing the tell tale sound of the gas tank blowing up, he knew it wouldn’t be that long until this area was swarming with authorities. 

Jordan waved him over to the side of the road and got out of the car, accompanied by Braeden. 

Not shutting off the engine, he got out and looked at them, the feeling of shock threatening to overtake him. 

“Stiles. Get as far away from here as you can. Out of State at the least. Out of country is even better. We know how to contact you when the heat dies down, but you have to go.”

Nodding his head, he surged forward and gave them both a tight hug around the neck. Drawing in as much warmth from them both as he could, he blinked back tears.

“Stiles. We are both, so very sorry for your loss. Both your parents and…”

Looking back to Beacon Hills' general direction, Stiles nodded his head in understanding. He was dead. Not literally, but at this point, he may as well have been. 

“Stiles is dead.”

Pulling out the fake ID, he chuckled, showing them. 

“I’m Mike now. Mike Carrier.”

Smiling sad smiles, they watched him get back into his Jeep and drive off.


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks had passed with very little in the line of information coming his way. He didn’t dare look up any information on his apparent death, nor that of his parents. Braeden and Parrish had sent him his, and his parents obituaries in a highly encrypted email. They’d discouraged him from replying, but knew that he’d read the messages somehow. He wasn’t about to ask, or question it. The little bit of contact with his old life was soothing, but given the most recent events, it was something he knew could disappear faster than he could blink an eye. 

Jordan had taken it as his duty to tell his friends personally about his ‘demise’ to avoid them looking too far into things. His heart broke when he found out how badly Scott and Lydia had taken it. He then respectfully asked that Jordan keep an eye on them, but refrain from telling him anything more about back home that wasn’t tied to keeping him alive. Braeden had taken that part as a given, instead dropping information to him about places to avoid and places he’d be able to lay low for a while. 

He’d left California that night, taking off the beaten path highways and driving through small towns to avoid the main road. Every couple states he crossed in to, he switched out the license plates and the VIN panel so as to not stand out too terribly much. Staying in seedy hotels that he tried to not inhale too many of the scents was something he’d been doing from time to time, though sleeping in the back of the Jeep down what looked like abandoned country roads was also more of the normal for him. Grateful for his parents pushing to get him out and camping when he was a kid, he felt at ease in nature as much as he did in a city. Mostly he was trying to avoid touching much of the cash he had with him. He had a good amount of American money, as well as Canadian, Mexican, and a few different ones from Argentina and Brazil, should he head south.

As the season kept rolling on, he knew that he’d have to settle somewhere come winter. Part of him wanted very very much to start hunkering down to do very little in the winter as his animal instincts would occasionally push him to do, but he knew that the human part of him had to override that. His initial run south was slowly and steadily shifting North. He’d seen a few job postings promising cash payments, no major background checks, and blessedly wasn’t Escort work. He would NOT take money to ease an Alpha’s trouble during their heat. No way. No how. 

The vast majority of the work being offered was for forestry work. It promised long days outside, a lot of physical labour, but the money was good, even if it was Canadian. He’d been a bit unlike some of the Omegas he’d met before in that while he worked out to be a bit eye catching, he was covered with functional muscle. He would never bulk up like the Alphas did, that was just not going to happen for him, but he could pass for a Beta with the right clothes. 

The passport in his bag would get him across the border he’d been assured by Braeden when he called about it, as long as he crossed at one of her recommended border crossings that was marked on one of the maps. She had encouraged Canada as their movement towards equality for Omegas was a fair bit further along than their own was. It was by no means perfect, but their equal hiring laws had been ratified a decade ago. No one cared if you were Alpha, Beta, or Omega, as long as you showed up to work when you were supposed to, and took the offered time off to get through your heat so you weren’t distracting people at work. Those who didn’t experience Heats were compensated with extra paid time off in lieu. Not perfect as anyone experiencing an unsatiated heat would attest, but it kept the Unions happy. 

Leaving a message for Braeden and Jordan that he was going North, he left out any information on which border crossing or when. They’d likely figure it out if they were watching for his different passports to be recorded in different systems. He didn’t want to do it very often, just in case something got flagged and he’d end up having an issue when he really couldn’t afford it. This was also why he didn’t send the message he was considering crossing until he was safely north of the border and in an area that was more tree than civilization. All in all it looked quite nice and the anonymity was a bonus.

Following the directions on the GPS, he’d pulled into a town that was a gloried street with a few residential side roads. He’d gone to the trailer that was marked as the head office for a logging company and exchanged enough information with the foreman to be assigned to the prospecting crew. He’d admitted he was a Werefox and on the antiquated form in front of him, he did mark down that he was an Omega. Standing in front of the desk, he felt the foreman’s eyes linger on him before a gruff grunt filled the silence.

“Yer and Omega but I’m guessing if you’re here you’re not exactly wanting that advertised. Don’t get a lot of you here unless it’s a big reason.”

Stiles opened his mouth but shut it when the Beta held up his hand and shook his head.

“Don’t mean I want to know it either. You show up to work and I’ll pay you. You Fox types are pretty damn good at finding the paths in and out of the tree stands so I’ll probably give you a bonus if you keep the machines from getting fucked up from the debris on the ground. If you need time off for your Seasonal, then you let me know however you want.”

Stiles nodded his head in easy agreement. Not much poking or prodding. The foreman he knew wasn’t really dumb enough to be fooled by the fake ID, but he didn’t really care much either. Scout ahead, keep the machines from getting fucked up, make some cash, and just do a job. How hard could it be?

***

Turns out it was pretty fucking hard especially as they moved in to the dead of winter. The days rolled more to weeks, which rolled to months. He’d settled down in a single occupancy hotel room when the weather was turning to the colder side of things that he’s only heard about in joking terms from his friends who went skiing up north. Experiencing it first hand SUCKED. But, it gave him somewhere to burrow down that was secure. He’d found a few safe places to stash his various money and electronics, but could grab them in a heart beat and be gone before anyone noticed. He kept a small pistol in a holster on the back of the side table.

The messages to and from Braeden and Parrish were sporadic and didn’t give them much to work with if they were trying to figure out where he was. He’d been using the various tricks he’d picked up from them to mask his IP address and bounce it around the globe. There wasn’t much movement on finding out who had killed his family. A few suspects but it never panned out. Unfortunately they had alibis. Kate Argent topped the list of suspects for a while, but even she had an alibi. There were some Alphas that they were looking into, a few Betas, and even a couple humans. There was also the possibility that it was someone in one of the more extreme organizations that saw the Stilinski’s push for equality as just feeding more into the Alpha Agenda. The fact that his father was the Sheriff didn’t shorten the list of suspects either. 

He’d stopped asking how everyone else was doing back home. It was too painful to consider his friends going through the grief process while he was still alive and well. He had a job that he enjoyed that had put muscle on where he didn’t expect it, and had a few people he worked with that he didn’t totally hate. His scouting partner was another Fox named Kira, though she was a Beta who was trying to escape the expectations of her parents. That she’d settle down with another Fox and have all kinds of little Kits. She knew she’d probably end up doing that anyway, but she was wanting to live her life on her terms for as long as she could. He could respect that. Most people expected him to live out his life barefoot and pregnant, and while he wasn’t opposed to having a few children of his own, it would again be on his terms. 

He didn’t trust Kira enough to tell her his secret, but he’d given her enough that he didn’t feel like he was completely lying to her, and the details that he’d left out would be forgiven by a reasonable person.  
Between the two of them, not only had they kept the machinery from getting excessively damaged, but they also had increased the productivity by finding faster and more accurate paths to where they needed to be. Plenty of lifting and carrying for them too. The days were long, the weather was sometimes awful, but if he was being honest with himself, he loved it. He was studying for his GED in case he was ever able to return to his normal life. Mike Carrier was college educated, which Stiles was ALSO catching up on so he could at least pass that side of things too, but if he was ever able to be Mieczyslaw Stilinski ever again, he’d need to be able to slip back into a real life with real prospects. 

Handling his most recent heat hadn’t even been that big an issue. It was reasonably short and not very intense. While he took the time off work to not distract his crew mates, he still worked through it by pouring himself (by force in some cases) to go through the various exercises he could do in his hotel room, or follow some of the yoga that Kira had taught him. Of course he gave in to the need to get off from time to time, but he was barely 18. Heat or not, he quite enjoyed pleasuring himself. 

Everything had settled into a new type of normalcy for him that he hadn’t expected since helping stuff a dead body into his Jeep and watching one of his parents friends shoot it and set it on fire. Admittedly his life was a little too messed up to shoot for normal any more. He would have to settle for pleasantly fucked up. 

Stretching to greet the morning sun as it peeked above the horizon, he felt a ripple of red fur skirt across his body. They were a ways off from the full moon, and while he didn’t feel the sway the same way some of the others did, he still felt the pull to just let the barrier between the human and the fox down and just enjoy the duality of his nature. The entire crew had the time off. Two of the Wolves, Erica and Boyd were already asking him and Kira to help them find a new path to run on their night off, which they were more than happy to help with. It usually meant having the two of them pick up the tab for dinner and drinks for a few weeks, and while they weren’t hurting for money, as neither Kira nor Stiles were big spenders, if they didn’t HAVE to spend…why bother?

Dressing in his bright yellow coveralls and pulling on his steel toed work boots, Stiles exited his hotel room and waved to the crew truck that he’d be right there. Grabbing a coffee from the restaurant attached to the front office, he grunted the usual greeting to the front desk staff as he dropped off that week’s rent money. All cash. They’d slip the receipt under the door later this afternoon. Making his way to the crew truck he piled in beside Kira who managed to beat him and claim a seat by the door. Accepting his fate that he’d be stuck in the middle today, he took a sip of his coffee and waited patiently for the last part of the crew to join them. The town was small enough that everyone just picked Stiles and Kira’s hotel as the meeting point. 

“There he is now.”

Stiles perked up, “Who?”

“New guy. Had to replace Greenburg. He took off back to his parents place. Work was too hard for him apparently.”

Snickering lightly to himself. Anything that required Greenburg to do more than sit on his ass was usually considered too strenuous by their crew mate. Erica honked the horn impatiently while Boyd just rolled his eyes at his girlfriend. To Stiles amazement another hotel room door opened and a rather harried looking man came running out, dressed in what were obviously new coveralls. Bright yellow, like everyone in the truck was wearing. Stiles opened his mouth to say something, but felt it immediately go dry. At first he was convinced it was because there was an incredibly attractive guy running to meet the truck that started to amble away (Erica’s way of welcoming you to the team). Once the person let out a bit of a roar and leapt into the moving vehicle with a disgusting amount of grace, Stiles felt the piece click together. 

He recognized that roar.

He recognized that face.

“Hey. Thanks for waiting. I’m Derek.”

Erica, Boyd and Kira all introduced themselves, though when it got to Stiles’ turn, he was still shocked silent.

“Wait. Don’t I know you from somewhere?”

Stiles shook his head in half hearted protest.

“You look like someone I used to know. His name was…”

“Mike. Carrier. Sorry. Don’t function well without my coffee. Welcome on board.”

Derek gave him a look of disbelief, but he didn’t pick up any thing that would lead to being a lie. Stiles had been practising so that it wasn’t detectable. Even to an Alpha like Derek. Who, until this moment, Stiles didn’t even think knew he existed. Their parents were great friends once upon a time. Derek was a couple years older than him, hence Stiles not even thinking Derek knew who he was. 

The chances of a random Alpha from back home arriving here, almost 6 months after he disappeared, were incredibly slim. Derek was content, at least for now, to let it slide.

“So. What brings you to our part of the back country?” Erica called back from the front seat, saving them from the awkward silence that threatened to fill the truck.

Derek shrugged, the grin never really leaving his face.

“Couldn’t stand being back home any more. Needed a change of scenery.”

Stiles almost opened his mouth to remind Derek that he lived in the middle of a nature preserve and this was just a Canadian version of his childhood home, but decided against it. Looking at Derek’s hands the nails were cracked and worn, and Stiles could pick up a scattered kind of energy around his team mate. Mostly due to scent. But he was picking up something he hadn’t expected from the surprise visitor.

Fear.

Derek Hale. Alpha son of Talia and Samuel Hale was afraid. The smile on his face was largely for show, but Stiles knew from watching it with some longing from when he was just a Kit himself that the smile was also genuine. He was seldom without it. 

Keeping his eyes focussed on the road ahead, and the long work day waiting for them, Stiles sipped at his rapidly cooling coffee, thinking a few more steps ahead. He was a fox after all. All he had to do was out think the wolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to limit the time jumps as we go forward, but we are now about 6 months past when Stiles' family was killed. March now. Where they are in Canada, it's still hella cold. Based largely off the area I grew up. LOL


	3. Chapter 3

“Watch out!”

Stiles ran the 25 feet between him and where Derek had his back turned to the tree that was being winched on the back of the truck. One of the cables had given way and the tree was swinging dangerously close to the Wolf’s back. Ducking under the log, Stiles pushed Derek out of the way with a forceful hit, getting a graze from the tree for his thanks. He felt the bones in his shoulder crack, but not break. He’d be fine in a few hours, but that didn’t stop it from hurting like a son of a bitch. 

“The hell is wrong with you?” Stiles was seeing red, very aware that the top of his ears were sprouting red fur.

“You never turn your back on the rigging unless you’re trying to get yourself killed.”

Stiles reached up and massaged his shoulder, checking his fingers and very grateful that there was no blood. Derek looked none the worse for wear, if only a little surprised that he had been thrown almost 10 feet by the second smallest member of the crew. Only Kira was shorter than he was, but possessed her own coiled strength.

Looking at the cables that were used for the trees, it was just like Erica and Boyd had said. They had taken the concern to Mitch, but he didn’t seem to be overly concerned. Then again it wasn’t him out there making the money. He was comfortably wedged behind his desk in the trailer and signing off on just enough workplace health and safety stuff to keep them operational. Blessedly due to Stiles’ heritage he’d be right as rain tomorrow. He would still probably take the paid day off anyway. It would lead to a nice three day weekend that would give him the time to decide if he was staying or going to go because someone from back home had managed to find him.

Holding out a hand he helped Derek up and shook his head in a mildly disapproving manner. 

“You’ve gotta be more careful. Just because you’ve got Wolf in you doesn’t mean you’re indestructible. Crushed skull usually means game over.”

Derek nodded his head, looking a little pale.

“You’re hurt…”

“Nothing I can’t walk off. Just…don’t do that again. We just got rid of Greenburg. Don’t want to risk having to call him back.”

Stiles gave him a gruff smile, moving off to catch up with Kira to start plotting the route out of here. The ground was starting to get softer which inevitably meant that this part of the job would be going on hiatus for a while until the ground dried out. Of course, this region was notorious for forest fires so from Erica had said, they’d be re-skilled and trained to help put those out. Harder work. Government work. Not as much money because it had to be above board, but Stiles’ alias had past muster so he was tentatively slated to take on the summer work. 

“That was an epic throw.”

Stiles gave Kira a half hearted grin.

“Adrenaline.”

She snickered.

“Yeah…but it was also nice seeing an Alpha get tossed on his ass too.”

Snorting, he winced a little at the twinge his shoulder gave him. Of all the Alphas out there, Derek was among the least offensive of the batch from what his memory was willing to toss back to him. They’d been childhood friends because their mother’s shared some of the same interested and had been long time friends themselves. Teenage years inevitably separated them as they came into their own. The Hales were a long family of Alphas and a few Omegas. Not too many Betas in the mix either. 

“Well it was definitely better than him going splat under a tree.”

Nodding her head, they veered off to a narrow road way that was largely overgrown on the sides but otherwise would be safe for the damage rigging to come through. Maybe knock a few branches off from up high but nothing that would be missed. Squinting up at the blue sky, he couldn’t help but smile. It was so often cloudy back home that the open sky and the natural light was doing him a world of good. Stretching into the sun, he sighed softly, almost forgetting about the concern that was nagging him in the back of his mind. He’d have to break radio silence on this one. Highly encrypted email was all well and good but it was slow. Burner phones were the way to go for this one. Besides. It might be nice hearing a voice from back home.

***

“You know you’ll have to destroy this phone after we finish talking.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. He knew the protocol. He’d memorized the sheets. Then burnt them. 

“I know. But what can you tell me. Why the fuck is Derek Hale in Northwestern Ontario and how the fuck did he land on my crew?”

Braeden and Jordan sighed on their side of the line. 

“It’s pure chance that he’s on your crew as far as we can tell. As for how he landed exactly where you are, we don’t know that part either. There’s a chance he needed to leave Beacon County for his safety. Talia and Samuel were involved in a major car accident. When we arrived on the scene the driver of the other vehicle was gone. With how close Talia and Claudia were…”

“…there’s a chance that it’s the same person that killed my parents. And this place is far enough removed from civilization that it would be safe to lay low. Was he travelling on his official papers or is he like me?”

“Nothing official over the computer system. Stiles.”

“Mike.”

“Mike…be careful. I know that you’re getting into a life there but-“

“It isn’t worth risking my life. I know. I’ll be careful. He’s staying in the hotel I’m living in, but there isn’t much else around so I’ll have to be a bit more careful I guess.”

They exchanged a few more bits of information, about how the investigation was going on his parents, and his own murder, what they could see and tell about the few friends he’d had to leave behind, and how they were each doing themselves. He felt the familiar ache in his heart from being so far removed from his old life, but he found it wasn’t as difficult now as it had been when he arrived. He had his casual friendships with Erica and Boyd, having been invited over for game night often enough that it was a biweekly tradition by now. He and Kira snagged the best laundry machines to do their clothes every few days. 

Looking up and to the side, in the vague direction of Derek’s room, he tuned his hearing up that way, but was met with a white noise machine. His room was also equipped with one to help keep his privacy. Sighing softly, he grabbed one of the six packs out of the fridge, grabbed his key, and carefully put his arm back in it’s sling. He was supposed to wear it until he healed, but it was so damn uncomfortable. It didn’t help that he had a syringe filled with a sedative stuffed under his arm. Just in case.

Leaving his room, he made his way to Derek’s room, knocking gently on the door. It was still, for most people, early in the evening. Given that they were on the road at a vaguely inhuman time of morning, it was pushing late for them. Hearing the white noise machine turn off, he also heard the snap of the air purifier that was available to rent for the Weres. Unless he was partially shifted, his sense of smell was human weak so no need. The Wolves though…they usually took them. Hearing a shuffle of feet towards the door, Stiles had his thumb on the peep hole and was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. 

The locks disengaged, and the door opened.

“Welcome to the team. May I come in?”

Stiles pushed his way into the hotel room which every instinct in him screamed was a bad idea. A) Derek was a Wolf. B) Derek was an Alpha. Pushing yourself into either territory was a gamble, and given that he was A) A Fox. B) An Omega, it was doubly dangerous. Kicking the door shut behind him, he set the beer down on the table and turned on the white noise machine. The happy, jovial look on his face was replaced by something a bit harder. More world wary. More exhausted.

Derek looked at Stiles with a bit of shock and anger, though that was somewhat tempered by the fact his hair was in disarray and there was a tell tale puffiness around his eyes. 

“What brings you out here?”

Derek grumbled low in his chest. He recognized Stiles of course, but wasn’t saying anything. He wasn’t exactly anticipating running into old friends this far from home either. Taking one of the beer and cracking it open, he took a long pull from the bottle, enjoying the slight kick the higher alcohol content carried with it. Nothing that would affect him for terribly long, but there was something very soothing about it all the same.

“Not what brought you, but not for someone’s lack of trying.”

Stiles’ narrowed his eyes at Derek, not willing to answer the unspoken challenge in the Alpha’s voice. Taking a beer for himself, he leaned against the desk. Looking around the rather spartan accommodations, he took a sip, rolling the amber liquid around his mouth with a small grimace. 

“I’d heard. Your parents…going to be okay?”

“That’s what Laura told me before we parted ways.”

Nodding his understanding. Derek wasn’t in much contact with his family, likely for their mutual safety. But from what Parrish had told him, no-one seemed to be overtly after the Hale children either. There was a pang of jealousy in his stomach at that which he knew was irrational and unfair. It was not kind to be jealous that someone you know wasn’t suffering the same devastation you were.

“How’d you settle on here?” Stiles was fishing for information, but he didn’t think he’d have a hell of a lot of time.

“Looking for work that didn’t ask questions, paid cash, and wouldn’t care if I chose to take off one day.”

“Toss in the fact it isn’t escort work and that pretty much answers why I’m here.”

“Look. Stiles…”

“It’s Mike.”

Derek nodded his head. He hadn’t had time or the foresight to put together a fake persona before leaving California. He’d picked up a fake ID through some of his Uncle Peter’s less than savoury connections, but he didn’t hold a lot of faith in it. He’d crossed the border, but barely. He had his actual passport with him, but that was only in emergency situations. 

“Mike. I’m not going to blow…whatever it is that you’re doing here. I just want to lay low. Make a few bucks to cover the rent in this place and live my life. I’ve got a feeling you do too. Eventually, sure. I’d like to go home. But it isn’t safe for either of us. At least you…everyone thinks you’re dead.”

Stiles gave him a cold smile as though sarcastically apologetic that he was still alive and his parents weren’t.

“That’s not what…what I meant was…”

“Save it Derek. Everyone thinks I got driven to a field, shot in the head and set on fire. It’s a tiny bit more difficult for me to get back to my old life if that’s ever possible if they ever figure out who killed my parents and overtly said they were coming after me.”

Rolling his shoulders, he winced at the pain that shot down his back. Derek crossed the three steps and placed his hand on Stiles’ good shoulder, willing the pain out of his body. Stiles fought instinct, and instead of exposing his throat slightly in submission, he tucked his chin down somewhat defiantly. A momentary flash of annoyance crossed Derek’s face, but it was likely he didn’t even realize it was there. Stiles made a study of Alpha reactions and this was a very subconscious one. Omega didn’t roll over for Alpha? Slightly annoyed Alpha. Mumbling a small thanks, he did have to admit having the pain pulled out did make it feel better.

“You saved my ass today.”

“I meant what I said in the field genius. Don’t turn your back on the riggings. We get paid cash, but gods know that our equipment isn’t always maintained to the greatest level. You won’t be doing anyone any favours being dead in a field somewhere.”

Sipping his beer, he cast a warning look at Derek’s hand that was still on his shoulder. His hair shifted to a slightly redder tone to show his annoyance at the prolonged physical contact. Derek took his hand back and moved back over to his side of the room. Switching on the air purifier, the tell tale smell of ozone filled the room, with the occasional electrical snap. Fiddling with the label on his beer, he looked down at his feet.

“For what it’s worth. I’m glad you’re still alive. S…Mike. Your funeral…it sucked pretty hard.”

Stiles looked up at him in a little bit of shock. 

“You went?”

“We all did. Our parents were friends. We…were friends.”

Stiles looked inquisitively at Derek, trying to gauge what he was thinking.

“We still are.”

Stiles got to his feet and drained the rest of his beer, leaving the empty bottle by the six pack. Moving over to the door, he smiled slightly at Derek’s reaction to that statement.

“If anyone was going to find me. I’m glad it was you. Good night Derek.”

“Good night Mike.”

Stiles proceeded to return to his hotel room, feeling a bit better about things, but still a bit nervous. They were out of the way, but how long would it stay that way?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picking up his paper, his soda, and his chocolate bar, he walked the rest of the way over to the truck, munching on his chocolate with a smile on his face. Placing one hand one the side of the truck, he launched himself in, and settled beside Derek like he didn’t have a care in the world. Turning to the Wolf who was trying to hide the obvious tent that appeared in his shorts watching Stiles fight, even if only for a moment, he cleared his throat.
> 
> “Want a taste?”
> 
> Stiles held the chocolate bar out, with an innocent grin that was anything but.

“Don’t do it Derek.”

“But…”

Erica turned to her crew mate from her vantage point on the back of the truck while Derek took a sip of his beer.

“Don’t do it D-man.”

The Alpha growled low in his chest, which did nothing to impress the Betas he was surrounded by. They were on weekend leave from the camp they were working out of while Quetico Provincial Park was undergoing constant air attack drills trying to contain the brush fire that was threatening to take out a sizeable portion of the park. So they were in Thunder Bay doing, among other things, their laundry. That left them in a state of ‘these are the emergency clothes’ that normally they wouldn’t be caught dead in. Well. Most of them.

Erica and Boyd were wearing matching t shirts from a trip to Disney they took around Christmas last year and torn to hell jeans that were equal part fashion disaster and epically comfortable. Kira was in a sun dress and her work boots, creating an interesting juxtaposition. Derek was wearing a white tank top that had become one size too small since he started working with them, and a pair of purple floral swim trunks because he was out of both shorts AND underwear…not that he often wore them anyway. All of them were Betas, or Alphas, and therefore left alone when they were milling about.

The problem, it would appear, was the fifth member of the team. Their ‘I don’t give a shit what you are’ Omega, whom they all loved dearly. Stiles was in a black tank top that had become two sizes too small on him with the extra layer of muscle he’d put on. He was also wearing a pair of tight black shorts that gave his already nicely shaped ass an extra lift. If Derek was being honest, he was rather entranced with how the muscles moved beneath the fabric and was curious to see how it felt across his tongue. Shaking the thought away with a growl, he also recognized that he was starting to feel possessive for no reason whatsoever. Stiles wasn’t his Mate. Friend, yes, but this was a bit more than that feeling.

And the group of Alphas that Stiles had captured the attention of were not making any bones about what they thought of how Stiles was dressed, Derek’s hackles were rising. Stiles, for his part, was simply buying a newspaper, a Coffee Crisp, and a soda from a street cart. 

“Seriously Derek. Don’t. They aren’t even from here, and Mike doesn’t need us protecting him.”

“But he’s…”

Kira fixed him with a warning look.

“He’s what, oh Mighty Alpha. He’s what.”

She raised an eyebrow in challenge. Embarrassingly Derek felt his colour rise. He’d watched Kira practising her forms before and followed along, good naturedly accepting her challenge to spar, stating she would take it easy on him. He, of course, chuckled, thinking he’d have the advantage because of age, size, and status. The third time he found himself dazed, staring up at the sun, wondering if the world would kindly stop spinning long enough for him to get off, in the span of 10 minutes no less, had instilled a very healthy respect of her skills.

“He’s our friend and they are assholes.”

“Good answers. And yes. You’re right. And yes. They are. But. Mike’s no push over.”

Indicating Derek should watch, he took another sip of his beer with a sour look on his face. He’d worn it often enough that Stiles had taken to calling him SourWolf when he knew Derek was listening. Stiles had finished making his purchases and turned to return to where his friends were waiting, doing his best to ignore the idiots he’d attracted. 

“Look whose on the prowl.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, dodging to the left half heartedly. Then the right. Then he stopped, finding himself essentially circled. They’d be stupid to really try anything, as rape laws were very strictly enforced, but there were always THOSE types who would try to intimidate him. Fat chance of that.

“C’mon guys. You don’t want to do this.”

“Oh we see where you’re going. Going back to your little hen house over there. They don’t seem to care what happens to you Little O.”

Not visibly reacting to the derisive term, Stiles’ stance shifted a little bit, but the circling Alphas didn’t seem to notice. Affecting the guise of a coy and cowed Omega, Stiles looked up at them through his eye lashes.

“Please guys. I…I don’t want any trouble.”

Derek felt himself rising but Boyd’s steady hand on his shoulder held him in place.

“Besides. I’m just a little ol’ Fox. And you all look like much better roosters than my hen house over there.”

The lead Alpha licked his lips just slightly, moving in closer to Stiles. What he didn’t see was the fist that Stiles had made to hide his nails. 

“But can I let you in on a little secret?”

Thinking they’d one the day, they all moved in a little closer. Stiles carefully set down his newspaper, eyes cast down, almost closed. With his face hidden from the Alphas closest to him, Stiles’ friends in their truck saw the hardened look in his eyes.

“Foxes kill roosters. You stupid cocks.”

The Alphas let out a growl of annoyance, but before they could do more than that, Stiles was down and out of the circle, planting a side kick to the knee of the Leader, showing no real emotion at the wet sound of muscle pulping and the sharp crack of bone breaking. With the Leader down and howling, his companions grabbed him a booked it out of there. There were more than enough witnesses that Stiles would walk free and they’d be in lock up if the cops showed up.

Picking up his paper, his soda, and his chocolate bar, he walked the rest of the way over to the truck, munching on his chocolate with a smile on his face. Placing one hand one the side of the truck, he launched himself in, and settled beside Derek like he didn’t have a care in the world. Turning to the Wolf who was trying to hide the obvious tent that appeared in his shorts watching Stiles fight, even if only for a moment, he cleared his throat.

“Want a taste?”

Stiles held the chocolate bar out, with an innocent grin that was anything but.

***

Later that night in the hotel, they had gone to their respective rooms. It wasn’t as familiar as the hotel back where they normally stayed, but it was still pretty comfortable. Kira had managed to snag the last single room, wincing apologetically to Stiles who had to take a room with Derek, as no-one in their right mind would try and split up Erica and Boyd after weeks of not being able to be alone.

They were all just grateful that room was on the far FAR end of the hotel. 

Stiles, for his part, didn’t show that he minded too much. At least he was in the room with someone familiar. Taking the bed next to the window, Stiles laid out his toiletries kit, glad that he packed some scent blocker. Watching in the reflection of the window as Derek came in and assessed the room, he seemed satisfied that Stiles took the window side. He frowned a little as Stiles pulled a pistol and inner pants holster out and set them on the bed. Stiles didn’t say anything about it, not about to be the one to address it.

Stripping out of his clothes, Derek turning red just a bit around the ears, Stiles stalked towards the bathroom, looking every bit a snack as he felt. Doubling back, he checked the safety on the gun, popped the magazine out, and showed Derek that the chamber was cleared. Taking the magazine and his pheromone blocker with him into the bathroom, he locked the door and started the shower.

Some time later, he emerged, towel around his waist smelling like soap, eucalyptus, and mint. Derek looked up from his bed where he was stretched out in his full glory. Stiles didn’t turn the least bit red, and made a point of staring into Derek’s eyes as though daring him to try something. Derek’s eyes pinched a bit, having been caught in a staring contest that wasn’t his design. Something about Stiles eyes staring back at him, pools of whiskey framed in white, that Derek found difficult to hold his gaze to. Feeling his eyes drop down to the left, he felt his head tilt a little bit as he did when his Mother was challenging him. 

The moment of submission was not lost on Stiles, but he also didn’t show any outer signs of reacting to it either. Watching as Derek went off to shower, Stiles dressed in a pair of loose shorts and a t-shirt that was about three sizes too big. Turning on the TV and flipping it to a news program, he sat back with the bag of chips he’s picked up, and grabbed the delivery menu that was on the middle table between the two beds. Deciding he’d wait until Derek was out to order so as to get enough for his temporary roommate, Stiles flipped through the channels during the commercial break.

Hearing the shower turn off he watched out of the corner of his eye to see what Derek did. Quirking an eyebrow as Derek turned on the white noise machine and air purifier prevent people from listening in, he turned to Derek as the older man sat on the edge of his bed and faced him.

“So.”

“Yes?”

“That something you carry with you all the time?”

Stiles looked at the modified holster that was now attached to the headboard, ready for a quick draw if needed.

“Not all the time.”

“Did you have it with you when you came to visit me?”

Stiles had only ever been up to Derek’s room the one time. Derek did hang out with him in his room from time to time, but that was at Stiles’ insistence.

“High powered sedative in a syringe tucked into my sling. If things went south I could sedate you and be gone before you felt the needle.”

Derek growled a little under his breath. Stiles was not impressed.

“And the gun?”

“Someone IS actively trying to kill me Derek. Or they were. But until I get the all clear I’m going to assume someone still wants me dead.”

Derek grunted.

“Not me.”

“I know.”

“Then why…”

He pointed at the offending item.

“Someone tried to kill your parents Der. I’m not about to let someone take a shot because I’m not willing to take one myself.”

“You don’t need that to protect you. You’ve got…”

“What. I have what Derek? My parents, if you forgot…yeah.”

“No. You have…”

“What? You? I don’t need you to protect me Derek.”

“I know. You have friends _Mike_. And you don’t need me to protect you. You don’t need anyone to protect you. I think you proved that today. But you aren’t alone and running any more Stiles.”

“My parents weren’t alone when they were shot Derek.”

Derek went still at that. He hadn’t heard anything more than there was a fire at the Stilinski residence.

“Shot? I had assumed-“

“The fire. Yeah. That’s what the official story is. The official records though show what was likely point blank execution style shootings through the back of the skull before they were set on fire. Dead before they knew it. So. I’d rather not have my friends meet the same fate.”

Derek looked down at the ground at that. Stiles had sounded so…matter of fact about it all. Like there was a wall up that he didn’t want to work around. Taking a deep breath, Derek looked up at Stiles and at the gun.

“I’m sorry. Just…I don’t like guns.”

“Me neither. But dad was the Sheriff. He taught me how to use them and I’m probably one of the safest people to be around with them.”

Nodding his head, Derek made a non-committal grunt. Rolling his eyes, Stiles crossed the room and sat beside Derek, giving his back a kind rub. Feeling the Alpha relax to his touch, he couldn’t deny there were certain parts of the hardwired biology that was just…nice. Alphas and Omegas tended to relax to the touch of a friendly Alpha or Omega. While it was part of the instinctual mating drive they possessed, it also worked well as ways of reinforcing friendly, or pack bonds. As much as Derek relaxed under his touch, Stiles felt the tension relaxing as well, just by touching. 

Resting his head on Derek’s shoulder, he nuzzled, just for a moment, the side of Derek’s neck, taking in the concentrated scent there. He knew his scent was masked, and Derek wouldn’t be tempted, but it was still something he wanted to do. Loneliness? He wasn’t sure. His last heat had passed just before they deployed to Quetico, so he knew that wasn’t it. Closing his eyes, he let Derek lay him down on the bed. Feeling his body go rigid for a moment until Derek had arranged a pillow for him to lay against, and pulled a blanket barrier up between them, he felt himself relax when he figured out that Derek wasn’t trying to get into his pants. 

Instead, he felt the Alpha’s side of the bed shiver a little bit. Opening his eyes, he saw the barely suppressed emotion in his friend’s eyes. The fear had returned.

“Shh…hey. What’s wrong?”

“Just…thinking about what happened. Your parents…what could have happened to mine.”

Stiles pulled Derek closer and tighter, feeling the vice grip of the other man all but crush his ribs. Feeling his own barriers start to crash down, Stiles wordlessly witnessed Derek’s low growl turn more into a mourning whine. For his friend’s loss, and for what could have been his. And for the first time in nearly a year, Stiles let himself cry, safely held in the arms of a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Lots going on. Christmas in Retail. Yeeesh.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a silly little interlude.

They woke up in a tangle of limbs, Stiles stretched out like a starfish with one knee on Derek’s thigh, the other on his sternum, head resting on a pillow that had been propped up on the side table. Derek lay there, largely afraid to move because one wrong move could mean Stiles’ knee in his groin, or knocking part of his chest in. Fortunately, Stiles was waking up pretty quickly and had the sense to take stock of how he was laying on the bed. Smiling sheepishly, he very carefully moved so Derek could slide out from underneath him. Looking at the clock and finding it was still the middle of the night, Stiles let out a relieved sigh. They still had a couple days off, but seeing that he’d get to sleep AGAIN tonight was like Christmas and his birthday all rolled in to one. Sliding off to his own bed, he smiled a kind smile at Derek who, inexplicably, frowned a little. Before he could open his mouth to ask, Derek’s phone lit up with a remind.

“Hold on a sec.”

Disconnecting it from the charger, Derek typed in a long series of numbers. While Stiles wasn’t sure exactly what the sequence is, he figured it had to have been a phone number as Derek lifted the phone to his ear to listen for a moment. International phone number most likely. After a few exchanged words that sounded largely like German, it was mostly “Ja” and “Nein.” Yes and no. 

“Ja. Verbinden sie den anruf.”

Stiles eye brow jumped a little. He had no idea that Derek spoke German. Though by the heavy American accent to it, it wasn’t fluent, by any stretch, just enough to get by more than likely. While Derek looked bored as the phone started to ring through to someone else, he looked at Stiles and shrugged by way of explanation.

“My Dad’s Mother is German. I understand a fair bit, but I don’t speak a lot of it. The answering service Peter set up for me is based in Berlin and they’re routing me through to California.”

“They have any clue where you are right now?”

“If someone is tracing my call it will take them to an apartment in London Ontario that’s been condemned for about 6 years now. We’re fine.”

Holding up his hand as the phone clicked again he started speaking again.  
“Mom? It’s good to hear your voice too. Yeah. No. I’m just gonna step into the bathroom so I don’t wake up my roommate. Nope. Just work.”

Derek slid off the bed and, as he had said, went into the bathroom and closed the door. Stiles could make out some of what he was talking about but it didn’t sound like anything that was going to lead back to him.

“No Mom, I’m not seeing anyone. Not that there isn’t a prospect but…NO. No. Mom. Okay. You and Dad just about got killed, this is the first time we’re talking in months and…Mom I’m not coming back married.”

Stiles snickered softly to himself. In truth, he could imagine having a similar conversation with his own mother. Letting that thought curdle in his stomach, he closed his eyes and tried to drown out the conversation.

“…is an Omega but…No I know. Mom. Like I’d ask anyone to give up their job just for me. No. He’s a nice guy. You’d like him. Really strong why? Mom. You know it isn’t safe for me to come home. It isn’t safe for you guys either. I’m not about to. No. No don’t put Dad on I…yes. *SIGH* I love you too Mom. Be careful.”

Stiles was listening with a bit more intensity than he really should. But he was intrigued.

“Hi Dad. No. Dad I just told Mom that I’m not dating any- Dad no, I’m also not about to accidentally make you a Grandfather either. Look. No yes no I know. Fine. Mike. Yes. Very. Smarter than I am. Like a brick shit…wait. Shit. No. Just gimme a sec.”

Stiles focus snapped back to himself when the water started running. Feeling a blush rush his cheeks, he quickly pulled out a book and pretended to read when he heard the bathroom door open and Derek threw the phone on his bed.

“How much did you hear?”

“Not a word. Foxes’ hearing isn’t as good as yours especially if I’m not shifted.”

“Oh. Okay. Good. Umm…Mike?”

“Yeah.”

“Book’s upside down.”

With that, Derek collapsed back in bed, eyes closed to the fact Stiles cheeks were almost so red they were glowing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek let his mind drift a little at that thought. He really didn’t want to leave the hotel if he were being honest, but by the sounds of things Stiles was wanting to go out and about as well. Being able to see his Mom and Dad would be worth it. The fact that a few of the Wifi spots around the city were showing as being elsewhere around the world helped alleviate some of the worry and concern about doing that. Derek hadn’t faked his death so he had a little more freedom to reach out to people back home.
> 
> “I’d…I’d like that.”
> 
> Stiles squirmed a little closer to Derek, not entirely realizing he had done it. Resting his head on Der’s shoulder, he looked up a little sadly. He envied Derek the opportunity, but didn’t for one second begrudge him the fact his parents and family was still alive, and his was not. He’d have to be a pretty horrible person to wish that reversal of roles on anyone, let alone a friend. 
> 
> “Do you have anyone you’d like to call. I mean like friends or…”

They woke up again in a tangle of limbs, though this time not as precarious as earlier on in the morning when Derek called his parents. This time Stiles was curled in to Derek’s chest, Derek’s arms around him protectively, though not wandering of their own accord in a way Stiles might get enraged. There was still another day off before they had to be back out on the fire line and there were no major plans, given they’d done their laundry and picked up the necessities they all needed yesterday. Derek looked down at Stiles who was pretending to be asleep judging by the way his heart rate shifted and his breathing changed to match it. Derek felt heavy and lazy, not really wanting to move. Nuzzling his face into Stiles hair, he drew in a deep breath without really meaning to.

“I can…smell you.”

Stiles eyes shot open and looked up at Derek, who was in no hurry to release the younger man. If Stiles wanted to escape his grasp though, it would require zero effort. Derek’s hold on him was gravity and that was it. His ample muscles were pliable and limp. Feeling no need to leave, and not soak up the cuddles, Stiles relaxed.

“You smell like a meadow.”

“You smell like the forest.”

Nuzzling into Derek’s chest, he drew in a deep breath before reluctantly untangling himself from the other’s hold. Derek frowned just slightly, but he wasn’t going to make a bit deal about it. He had no right and he knew it. Watching as Stiles disappeared into the bathroom, he watched as Stiles came back in, the scent noticeably absent, replaced instead with mint and eucalyptus. Furrowing his brow, he instinctively tried to get Stiles scent again and found it missing, except for against his chest. Running his hand absently where Stiles had nuzzled his face, he quirked an eyebrow in question.

“Keeps people from being able to immediately tell I’m an Omega. Masks my scent from people who could be trying to track me too. I know there are other was of telling what I am, but it confuses people for a bit. Long enough to get away or avoid them.”

Nodding his head in understanding, Derek remained where he was laying, doing his best to mask the fact that Stiles’ natural scent had stirred something in him, though he found the scent of the herbs and oils he used to mask his pheromones just as enticing, if only because he knew that it was also Stiles. He hadn’t been lying when he told his Dad that he had started to develop feelings for his coworker, Mike, and the fact that it wasn’t the pheromones that were turning his head was a bonus. He knew that many Alphas who were Mated usually described the effect of the pheromones as the first thing they remember being drawn to with their spouses, and genuine feelings came later.

“Come back to bed.”

That wasn’t quite what he’d meant to say. He’d wanted to ask Stiles about his plans for today. But as soon as he opened his mouth the words tumbled out in a quietly hopeful jumble. Looking up at Stiles who was eyeing him warily, Derek felt his cheeks turn red.  
“You don’t have to…I mean…I wasn’t saying we…or…TV. Watch TV. With me.”

“In bed?”

“Or on the couch. Floor. Can we pretend I didn’t just…”

Stiles for his part smirked and chuckled a little bit. Derek felt the red flush of embarrassment flood through him, but was a little startled when Stiles leapt into the bed, and handed over a tube of what could only be the chemo-blocker.

“Only if you go into the bathroom and use this first. It’s hard to think straight with what you’re pumping into the air right now.”

“Where do I…”

“Crotch. Arm pits. Neck. Anywhere that has a concentration of your scent. It smells great but I’m fighting 19 year old hormones here. Thank god I’m not in heat or I’d be a real mess right now.”

Derek chuckled. He was fighting 22 year old hormones as well. But, he slid out of bed, into the washroom and complied. There was a lingering temptation as he was applying the blocker to his groin area to go a step further and take care of a pressing concern, but he had a feeling they’d have to find another hotel to escape the scent of his release in the washroom. The fans in these places weren’t exactly notorious for venting washrooms.

Once he was suitably done, he went back to the main part of their room and saw Stiles dressing in clean pyjamas. 

“You’re not helping things you know,” Derek all but growled under his breath.

Looking over his bare shoulder, Stiles gave him a coy smile before pulling on his shirt. Slowly letting out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, Derek crawled back on the bed, propping up the pillows to support his back and grabbed the remote. Settling on a brainless action flick, he couldn’t help but smile at the way the corners of Stiles eyes crinkled up a bit at his amusement at the acting in front of them. It wasn’t the greatest film ever released, but it was something to escape the worries of the day with, even if only for an hour. Well. Closer to 97 minutes discounting the commercial breaks.

“Think we should head out today?”

“Kira said something about wanting to check out the Mall to send some stuff back home. Maybe you can find a public Wifi spot while we’re there and Video call your parents?”

Derek let his mind drift a little at that thought. He really didn’t want to leave the hotel if he were being honest, but by the sounds of things Stiles was wanting to go out and about as well. Being able to see his Mom and Dad would be worth it. The fact that a few of the Wifi spots around the city were showing as being elsewhere around the world helped alleviate some of the worry and concern about doing that. Derek hadn’t faked his death so he had a little more freedom to reach out to people back home.

“I’d…I’d like that.”

Stiles squirmed a little closer to Derek, not entirely realizing he had done it. Resting his head on Der’s shoulder, he looked up a little sadly. He envied Derek the opportunity, but didn’t for one second begrudge him the fact his parents and family was still alive, and his was not. He’d have to be a pretty horrible person to wish that reversal of roles on anyone, let alone a friend. 

“Do you have anyone you’d like to call. I mean like friends or…”

“Loads. Everyone. But I can’t. There are two people, three if you include yourself, from back home who know I’m still alive. You were at the funeral. I’d give my eye teeth to call Scott and Lydia and let them know I’m still alive. To tell Scott’s Mom that I AM eating my veggies and staying out of trouble. To let Danny and Liam and Mason know that I haven’t forgotten that I owe each of them lunch the next time I see them because I bet that they’d all beaten me on our Econ exam.”

“You bet against yourself?”

“Yup. And I had the highest mark by 1.3%. I’d LOVE to be able to call the Station and talk to all of Dad’s friends and let them know I’m still alive. Call Mom’s boss and tell her that I’m okay and that I’m safe.”

Looking down, Stiles let a few tears fall. His voice was becoming shaky. Looking up into Derek’s eyes, not even trying to hide the fact he felt so miserable.

Voice finally breaking as his lower lip quivered.

“But I can’t. Because then there would be more dead bodies because of me. I’m dangerous to be around Derek. I shouldn’t have even stayed here as long as I have. I shouldn’t have gotten close to Erica or Boyd or Kira because their lives are in danger because of me. All of you are…”

Rolling to get off the bed, there was something in his head just screaming at him to grab his gear and run. Frantically grabbing his things and starting to pack them up, he found his movements arrested by a warm hand on his shoulder. Looking back he saw a concerned look on Derek’s face. Opening his mouth to protest the delay that Derek was causing him, he found himself unable to speak due to a pair of lips on his. 

Sagging almost completely, he let Derek hold him up and support him. The kiss was tentative, but returned in equal measure. Derek wasn’t pushing for more and his entire body was relaxed. Letting Derek adjust his grip to more properly support him, he let the kiss continue for a moment, before reluctantly breaking it.

Feeling his heart rate drop to a more manageable level, he pulled back from Derek with a more confused look on his face, but at least he wasn’t racing to try and bail out of the hotel in the middle of the day. 

“Don’t leave us Stiles…Mike…you’re part of the team, and probably the only reason it works as well as it does.”

“But…”

“We’ll deal with it. But I think…I think we should tell the others. Just Erica, Boyd and Kira. You are right. It is dangerous for them not knowing the truth about us so they should have some say in it too.”

“You kissed me.”

Derek nodded his head.

“You kissed me back.”

“Why did you…”

Derek looked down, cheeks a little flushed with embarrassment which was not what Stiles was expecting to be perfectly frank. Scuffing at the floor with his barefoot, he shrugged looking up at the somewhat perplexed Omega.

“I just needed to if for no other reason but to keep you here for a few minutes more to think about how to calm you down.”

“Oh.” Stiles looked a little crestfallen at that admission.

“The fact I’ve wanted to since that day you saved my ass out in the forest factors into it too.”

“Oh!” He looked a little upset at that admission.

“But for right now…we need to call a crew meeting I think.”

Reluctantly Stiles agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A thousand apologies for the major delay in the updates on this one.
> 
> 22 FEB 2018 - Slight name change. Stupid me threw the wrong names in one section. If you can't catch it, I ain't sayin'. LOL


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major apology on how long it took to get this chapter up. Knee surgery + REALLY good pain killers = Me unable to write a full sentence.

A stunned silence filled the hotel room as Stiles sat on the desk facing everyone, and Derek leaned against the window, sitting on the sill above the air conditioner. Erica and Boyd were sitting on Stiles’ bed while Kira sat cross legged in the middle of Derek’s. Stiles looked down at his hands, fingers interlaced while he picked at his thumb nail. The soft tick-tick-tick being the only sound they heard while the information sank in. Erica couldn’t disguise the look on her face as she ran her inner dialogue. Boyd’s face was a perfect mask not giving away any thought. Kira looked like a combination of ‘many miles away’ to ‘evaluate weakness and attack.’

“So. You’re actual name is Mieczyslaw?” Erica butchered the pronunciation, which in all fairness was par for the course. There was a reason he went by a nickname at the best of times.

Stiles nodded.

“Stilinski.”

He nodded again.

“I can understand where Mike came from in all that and…yeah…but where the fuck does Carrier come from.”

He shrugged. He hadn’t picked the names, it just happened to be the first ID he’d grabbed when he left home.

“And you go by Stiles back home?”

“Yep.”

“Do you mind if I keep calling you Mike?”

Shaking his head, he was a bit relieved that there wasn’t a lot of yelling going on.

Boyd put his hand up in question. “You’re on the run because someone killed your family. Don’t get me wrong, that would freak me the fuck out too. But can’t you go to the cops?”

“Cops are the ones that helped get me out of Beacon Hills and stage my death. Something tells me it isn’t exactly safe. I check in from time to time but they aren’t exactly encouraging my return. Last I heard, they were looking into ‘Alphas First’ as they’ve taken credit for a number of different attacks on some of the equality groups down south.”

Derek growled at the mention of Alphas First.

“They’re the same ones who took credit for my parents accident.”

Erica, Boyd and Kira bristled a bit at the mention of the extremist group. Kali, their leader, was a very vocal advocate for the traditional ‘Barefoot and Pregnant’ role that Omegas once were saddled with. Even though they were Betas themselves, it rubbed them the wrong way that any group could be treated like that. North of the border, 'Alphas First' was a laughing stock. They had some supporters, but none that would be loud enough to cause trouble. 

“Are you two having sex?”

Stiles fell off the desk and Derek’s eyes shot open so wide it almost hurt. Kira was looking at them with that dreamy innocence she always seemed to carry. They all knew she was just as lewd in the joke department as the rest of them, and during a rather telling game of “Never Have I Ever” they found out why she wasn’t allowed to go back to any Taco Bell in most of South Dakota, but she was also the last person they ever thought would ask the question.

“Because the bed smells like both of you and it kind of has that lust smell to it. You’re also both wearing Mike…Stiles…whatever…the scent blocker which can hide the smell of most of the sex but a little can still creep out and through the entire time Stiles was telling us about everything Derek was watching his lips way too carefully for just casual friendship. It’s cool if you are but if I’m about to shift a little because my feet are falling asleep I’m not going to uncover used condoms or anything am I?”

Erica and Boyd started to howl with laughter. Derek turned bright red and Stiles stared at his friends in wide eyed wonder.

“Der…you want to field that one?”

“We aren’t sleeping together. Yet.”

Stiles sunk back down and would have crawled under the bed if he could have. Still, he felt the warming bubble of laughter start in his chest and before he knew it he was laughing just as hard as the rest of them. Minus Derek, who looked equal parts ready to jump out the window, and smug at his answer.

“So. You’re not mad that I lied about who I am?”

Erica, who was the first to calm down shook her head, heavy blond hair bouncing at the simple movement. 

“You were sitting on something HUGE. People gunning for you. Literally. You didn’t know if you could trust us or whatever. Moving from the middle of butt fuck California to…okay the middle of butt fuck Ontario so…you know…life choices. But from what I can tell…that’s the only stuff you’ve really lied about. Everything else is just…”

Boyd shrugged his shoulders. “You. You’re part of our crew, and we aren’t gonna let anything happen to you.”

Kira nodded her head in agreement with her optimistic smile creeping up. Adjusting herself on the bed, she was indeed quite thrilled there were no used condoms to get stuck to. As the giggle fit died down, Derek shifted closer to Stiles, tentatively reaching out and taking the wily Omega's hand. Stiles looked over at him coyly, letting Derek interlace their fingers together and gave it a light squeeze. Relaxing at the simple touch, he felt a blush grace his cheeks. Ignoring the "awww....cuuuuuuute" look that Erica was giving them, and the knowing grin that Boyd was casting their way, he let himself enjoy the contact. He was a strong, independent Omega who didn't need no Alpha...but wasn't about to turn down the sweet little affections Derek was giving him either.

The conversation swung around to talk more about Stiles and his real life back in Beacon Hills. It was in equal parts easy and difficult to talk about. Chatting about school, about being one of the top of his class with a fellow Omega, being one of the first to join the lacrosse team, it came easily, and his heart fluttered at the pride in Derek's smile about his limited accomplishments. Talking about his parents was more difficult and he found himself stumbling over his verb tenses when talking about them. Boyd surprisingly was the most supportive in that, having lost his parents when he was a child. He was lucky enough to be raised by his grandmother who was a real spit fire of a woman. It lead to Erica talking about how it was just her and her Dad when she was growing up, her Mom splitting when she was a baby. Derek and Kira spoke with some guilt about the fact their families were whole and for the most part happy. His parents were back home and with extra security courtesy of Parrish and Braeden, so Stiles could rest easy knowing they were actually protected. 

The guilt from Kira and Derek was quickly swallowed by Erica and Boyd inviting themselves to stay at Derek's house and soak up the family feels, which he had no doubt his Mom and Dad would jump on in a heartbeat. They seemed to have a soft spot for strays. 

Chinese had been delivered and movies had been selected. Erica and Boyd curled up on Stiles' bed, while Stiles and Derek snuggled up on his. Kira opted for the overstuffed, but surprisingly comfortable wing chair that had been stuffed in the corner. The flow of conversation kept going between the action sequences that had Erica and Stiles sitting up and getting heavily invested in, and the romance periods that Boyd and Derek were certainly NOT tearing up through. Kira munched popcorn and got really invested during the sciencey parts. Night came, as it usually does, and Kira stretched out on the sofa, not for the first time glad she was pretty short. Erica and Boyd curled in on each other, not moving from Stiles bed. 

Rolling on his side so his back was to Derek, he felt the werewolf get up from the bed and drape a blanket over Kira, who murmured a sleepy 'thank you'. As the bed dipped, Stiles smiled as Derek slid an arm over his hip, splaying his hand across his abs. Preening a little at the low growl in Derek's chest as he traced his abs, he relaxed into the embrace.

"I'm glad to have met you again Stiles."

"Right back atchya Der."

Nuzzling into the back of Stiles neck, Stiles allowed himself to relax a little, and expose a little of his neck, which to this point, was something he firmly avoided doing. Hearing the hitch in Derek's breathing, it certainly seemed to have produced a palpable effect. Purring a little as Derek gave the exposed flesh a gentle nip, followed by a lovingly languid kiss, Stiles let himself get overwhelmed by the sensation. Burrowing into the pillow, he sighed softly at Derek held him tighter. Running his hand up and down Derek's arms, he whispered over his shoulder.

"I'll never let anyone hurt you Derek."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I want to help."
> 
> Stiles looked into Derek's eyes, pupils blown wide at the pulse that shuddered through his body at the admission.
> 
> "I like you and...I don't want you going through it alone...if that's okay."
> 
> "Let's...get my bags...and discuss it on the drive."

Smelling that they were the only two left in the room, Stiles looked at the clock and growled under his breath. It was too damn early to get up, even if they were heading back out to the camp today to keep working on the fire in the Provincial Park. Luckily that also meant he could curl back up and fall asleep for a few more hours. He wasn’t even sure when they other three had snuck out, he was that far out of it. Sliding from the bed he went and threw the latch on the door before ducking into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Bleary eyed, he waddled back to the beds and looked at his bed before looking over at Derek’s. Taking the half second to pretend to think this one through, he slid back under the covers and rolled over to put his back to Derek. Grunting a little in annoyance, there was a pillow waste level that he would swear wasn’t there before. Going to pull it out, he found Derek’s hand was on him in a flash, holding the pillow firmly in place.

“No.”

“But.”

“Leave. It.”

Derek wasn’t being rude, but this early usually left him in a one word sentence mode. 

“Why.”

“Reasons.”

“What kind of.”

“Man reasons.”

Stiles gave a long, slow blink. They were both men. What could that possibly have to do with?

“Ahh.”

Stiles giggled a little under his breath. He wasn’t making fun of Derek at all, but it was a bit funny. Seeing Derek open one of his eyes to look at Stiles, he smiled a small smile at Derek for his benefit.

“You worried about impugning my virtue?”

It wasn’t a secret that Stiles was still a virgin. The same “never have I ever” game that let them learn a LOT about Kira’s sex life had also been where they uncovered that Stiles was a virgin, Derek had a disastrous relationship with two betas named Kate and Jennifer, and that Erica liked pegging Boyd, and Boyd wasn’t ashamed to admit he loved being topped by Erica in anyway she could think of. 

Derek sighed a defeated sigh and nodded his head. Stiles shook his head and pulled the pillow away, this time more successfully. Derek went to cover himself, even though he was wearing pant. Stiles quirked an eyebrow.

“Der…I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to but…I’d really like to stay in your bed. I don’t care if you’re pressed up against me. It’s probably just because you’re waking up, that’s all.”

Derek shook his head.

“I can go put on more blocker if you’d like.”

“NO! I mean…please don’t.”

“Or sleep in the other bed. It stinks of Boyd and Erica but if it makes it easier.”

“NO. Stiles. No. Please. Stay. When I think of you…smell you…you have an effect on me and I…I really like it. I’m sorry and I know it’s intrusive and if you don’t want to sleep in bed with me I get it. I won’t ask for anything you don’t want but…I can’t help it. I like you. And I haven’t slept this well in a long time.”

Stiles reached out and placed a finger on Derek’s lips. Sliding more under the covers, he pressed himself up against Derek, sliding an arm deliberately under his t-shirt, and hooked his arm around Derek’s waist. Pressing his own arousal against Derek’s, he smiled.

“I like you too. Don’t get me wrong, we won’t be having sex today, but there is nothing and I mean nothing to be ashamed about.”

Pressing himself meaningfully against Derek’s hardness, he pressed a soft kiss against Derek’s lips.

“Trust me.”

Feeling himself relax a bit, he returned the kiss with a lazy energy that spoke to how tired he truly was. Stiles rolled over, not breaking much contact with Derek, and pressed himself against Derek. Their layers of clothing about the only thing keeping them modest. Letting Derek’s length press against his ass, Stiles found himself a bit turned on, and a certain dampness starting to make itself apparent. Despite the fresh scent of his desire now filling the room, Stiles relaxed at the fact that Derek wasn’t pushing for anything more than simply holding him right now. 

If either of them were close to their heats that could quickly change, but he wasn’t that stupid. He knew to lock himself away and let it run its course. Which would likely be during the gap week between the end of their contract here, and starting back with the logging in the fall if he was keeping track of dates correctly. He did however allow Derek to pull him closer and press a few lazy kisses to the back of his neck, which left him shuddering at the attention. 

Interlacing his fingers with Derek’s, Stiles let his mind wander as he drifted off to the thought of what it would be like to wake up on a consistent basis in these arms, or his own arms wrapped around Derek if he needed to be held. 

When Stiles next awoke, it was to the feeling of Derek’s hot mouth kissing around his neck, and in a purely conscious decision, Stiles exposed a little more of his throat and was rewarded with a satisfied moan that was ringing through his ears while he masturbated in the shower as they finished getting ready to head back to the forest fire.

***

They returned to the fire to find it was under control but was still a bear to put out. Moving on to the next fire, and the next one after that, they eventually found themselves in Erica’s rusty extended cab pick up, driving back to the town they were staying in during the fall and winter part of their job. Bank accounts were much fatter than when they’d left for training, and the nice thing was aside from a few small and short trips in to Thunder Bay, there was no way for them to spend, leaving the money largely untouched. Which explained why the university students were thrilled as they were on their way back to school. If they were going back to school, at least one semester was covered, or largely covered. The conversation in the truck was ranging from plans on what to do with their three weeks of down time, to what they wanted most for dinner, which Stiles had offered to cook at Erica and Boyd’s. Derek had receive a few messages from his family, mostly asking if and when he was planning on coming home. As had Kira. 

Staring down at his current burner phone, there was a couple messages from Braeden saying that the case was hitting a lot of dead ends, and a message from Parrish saying he’d been able to salvage a few personal items from the fire at Stiles home. A box of pictures. Some of his mother’s few pieces of heirloom jewelry she’d inherited from her mother. Strangely an ugly lamp that had been shoved in the basement that neither of his parents could stand, hated with a passion, but couldn’t bring themselves to toss it out either. Feeling his heart ache at the thought the lamp had survived, he suddenly felt the need to have it and put it out for all to see. Even if it looked like the 60’s had thrown up on the acrylic base. 

Tucking his phone away, he mostly just wanted to get back to the hotel room he was still paying for, and getting his Jeep out of one storage unit, and his bags out of the other 5 he had rented. All under different identities of course. None of which were close to town either.

As they pulled into town, and passed the new town signs that looked like they were driving into a business centre more than a small tourist town that happened to be on the Canada/US border, they found themselves slipping into a companionable silence. Erica and Boyd had agreed to drop them off at the hotel so they could shower and change, and then make their way over to the house for some barbeque. 

Turning down one of the two through streets, they passed through the small business area, but couldn’t help but be a bit disturbed when they saw plumes of black smoke from roughly the direction their hotel was. Feeling something cold sink in the pit of his stomach, Stiles slunk down in his seat as they turned the corner. Derek followed suit, sliding far enough down they wouldn't easily be seen. Closing his eyes and focussing, Stiles' ears shifted just slightly to his fox form, so he could more easily tune in what he was hearing. 

The entire place had gone up in flame. Nothing to be done.

“Building completely destroyed. Nothing left to be salvaged. Except one coffee maker. No casualties,” he reported. 

Kira and Derek had stashed their important stuff with Erica and Boyd, as they didn’t trust the hotel very much. Wise choice it would seem.

“Don’t draw any attention to us, and just keep going to your place.”

Stiles all but whispered, fearful that he’d be heard by someone on the streets. Erica merely bobbed her head, and chatted away as if everything was perfectly okay, heading to the underpass to get under the tracks that bisect the town into “North” and “South.” Heading to their tiny house, Derek and Stiles were grateful to see that the house was intact, if only the yard being a little overgrown with brown grass. It had been a scorching summer, and it looked like the person they’d hired to cut the grass had left without doing more than one, maybe two cuts. 

Once the truck had been pulled around back, they were out of the back of the truck and in the house, grateful no-one was really around to see them. The neighbours were humans on either side, and likely at work right now. Bringing everything in as quickly as they could, Stiles sent off a couple message to Braeden and Parrish while Derek called his parents to let them know everything was reasonably fine, and that he'd be looking for new accommodations as there was an incident at the hotel he'd been staying in, but didn't want to go into any detail. Boyd and Kira left to get some groceries, as the half full ice cube tray wasn't likely going to do it in terms of feeding them tonight. Stiles slipped Boyd a small list and the cash he had in his wallet. Looking through the list, Boyd simply nodded, the model of discretion. 

Making his way to the back of the house, Stiles grabbed out his backpack and pulled out the tablet he splurged on after they finished off the fire season, and before they started the drive back. Punching in the wifi password, he pulled up the local newspaper to see if there was anything unusual going on in town besides today's fire, which likely wouldn't be reported on for a day or so anyway. Looking up in time to see himself appear on the screen of Derek's phone, he almost dropped his tablet, and felt himself go pale.

"Derek...is that...that can't be. No. Is that Stiles?"

Before his brain could process what was going on, Stiles found himself dropped on the floor, looking around for the nearest escape, and seriously contemplating shifting and running. 

"Dad. Shh. Not so loud. You can't...you really really can't say anything."

Hearing some muffled swearing on the both sides of the call, Stiles shakily got to his feet and came up behind Derek. Feeling a cramp start in the small of his back, he stretched as best he could to focus on that pain and not on the fact his heart was going a mile a minute. He was already due to start his heat in the next week or so, having felt and ignored most of the early symptoms during the last week of the fire season. Stress, however, did nothing to stave off the effects. If anything he would probably find himself a rutting, stinking, dripping mess within the next 72 hours. By and large he didn't care that he was an Omega. Except at times like this. 

Walking the last few steps, he placed a hand on Derek's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. He smiled at the fact Derek reached up and took his hand like it was a treasured gift. Sitting down on a chair beside Derek, Stiles smiled a sheepish little smile.

"Hi Mr. Hale. Long time no see."

"Talia. Talia get over here quick!!!"

There was the sound of scrambling in the background, and before a moment had passed, the rather imposing figure of Derek's mom filled the screen.

"Mieczyslaw? Is that you?"

There was a small trace of hope in her voice. She'd been close to his mother when he was younger, but had always remained friends even when real life kept getting in the way of their coffee meetings or when board meetings replaced play dates. Talia was also one of about three people outside of the family who could pronounce his name properly, and get away with it.

"Hi Mrs. Hale. You look like you've recovered from the accident pretty nicely."

Derek's parents sat there, holding each other's hands tightly and just allowed themselves a moment to be happy that their friend's child was indeed alive, and sitting with their own child. Talia squinted slightly at her screen.

"Are you...two holding hands?"

Stiles and Derek both barked a laugh at the sheer absurdity of THAT being the question she was defaulting to. Not asking how he survived. Not asking where they are. Not asking anything like that. But are they holding hands as though that were the most important thing in the world.

"We are indeed holding hands. And on occasion we have been known to kiss each other too. Secretly I'm pretty sure Derek's been brainwashed into liking me for whatever nefarious reason he may have but...he gives good cuddle so I'm happy to be his willing pawn."

Talia rolled her eyes hard enough that it looked almost painful, but her smile betrayed her annoyance.

"No grandchildren just yet please. I'm still not old enough."

"Speak for yourself Tal! I'm not getting any younger and Stiles and Derek would have the cutest little babes. Red furred like Stiles. Wolves like Derek."

Derek for his part was turning a little red from embarrassment. Stiles was feeling a little flush, but for completely different reasons. Clearing his throat to keep himself focus, he didn't miss seeing Talia swat her husband's chest playfully. 

"I can't express how happy I am...we are...to see you still alive. Does anyone else..."

Stiles nodded his head.

"A couple people do. The ones who helped me escape. Derek, obviously. You two. The people we are with right now know the story too so...some. Not a lot and we kind of want to keep it that way."

"Not a word. I promise."

Stiles felt the tension relax a bit more. Sitting there with Derek as they fell into the familiar and comforting rhythm of conversation, they introduced Erica and Kira as they came through the room, and finally Boyd when he returned from the shopping trip. It was getting dark out slowly as the conversation wound up, ended in the note of Erica and Boyd inviting themselves to visit Derek's family really soon, and the genuine invitation from Talia for them all to come and stay at the house.

"Honestly. It's just as safe here as it probably is there. If the hotel fire had something to do with whoever is after Mike..."

They'd also impressed upon Derek's parents the importance of not using his name too often, to stay in the habit of calling him by his alias. 

"...then it's definitely safer with Pack rather than being on the run."

Nodding their heads in agreement, they promised to seriously consider returning to California. Kira had piped up that she'd go with. Her parents weren't too far out from Beacon Hills as it was, so not only safety in numbers, but the trip home was definitely better when shared with friends. Boyd and Erica said they'd also head along. Their positions with the logging crew didn't have a set start date so there was some flex. Plus, they had never been that far west before so it was like a mini vacation for them before the drudgery of winter work reared its ugly head. The fact the Hale pack also lived in the middle of a forest had its appeal as well. Stiles sincerely promised to think about it. And Derek said that he wasn't going anywhere without Stiles.

After signing off, Stiles slumped in the chair, feeling a painful cramp cross his shoulder blades and continue down his spine, making him want to curl into a ball and hide under the table.

"You okay?"

Boyd slipped Stiles the pill bottles with a look of sympathy. They were only muscle relaxants, not suppressors. Stiles refused suppressors unless there was absolutely no avoiding it. Catching the brand name, Derek's eye brows all but shot to the back of his head.

"Stiles are you..."

A warning growl cut him off. This time from Erica.

"You don't just ask someone if they're going into their heat cycle Derek. It's kind of intrusive."

Turning as red as Stiles' fox fur, Derek shut his mouth and nodded his head.

"What do you need me to do."

Stiles dry swallowed a couple of the pills, then took the glass of water Kira had brought him gratefully. Draining it dry in a single chug, he sighed.

"We need to collect my bags from the storage units around town and be ready to leave in a few days time. I need to get through this before we travel because an Omega in heat trapped in a car with an Alpha is NOT on my list of ways to travel. As for what you can do...don't let me do something we might regret. Or better yet just...stay away from me."

"But..." Derek looked down at the ground, biting his lip to stay quiet.

"I want to help."

Stiles looked into Derek's eyes, pupils blown wide at the pulse that shuddered through his body at the admission.

"I like you and...I don't want you going through it alone...if that's okay."

"Let's...get my bags...and discuss it on the drive."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re coming with us,” the twin on the right intoned with great severity.
> 
> Stiles snickered and shook his head. If he did that, he’d never be heard from again, that much he could guarantee. He still couldn’t figure out what the point would be in killing him. He didn’t quite get what the point was of killing his parents either. Someone was sending a message, he got that much, that people supporting Omega equality were being punished…but why kill him?
> 
> “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
> 
> “Please. Don’t…don’t make this harder than it is.”

The first stop they made was to a storage locker on the far north side of town. Keying in the code for the electronic gate, Erica drove them through and followed Stiles’ directions to one of the far banks of storage units. Hopping out of the truck, he used the motion rocker on the lock and shifted it in a few different directions at what appeared to be random. Pulling it open, he slung the door wide open, revealing it was largely empty save for a chest of drawers, a barrack box, and an old freezer. Pulling open the chest of drawers, he pulled out a crowbar, went to the barrack box and smashed in the side, pulling out a large black duffel bag. Unzipping it, he pulled out a set of plates and insurance information. The VIN plates that he changed may have been forged, but the insurance was real. The last thing in the world he wanted was to get pulled over on phoney plates. Making one last stop at the freezer, he pulled out a sealed box of ice cream sandwiches and passed them out to everyone in the truck. Squeezing in beside Derek, he gave them directions to the next locker unit.

Driving in relative silence, everyone enjoyed the sandwich and the fact the night air was cool enough that it didn’t feel oppressive, but still warm enough that they could get away with t-shirts and shorts. Out of the corner of Stiles eye, he watched at Derek slowly licked at the ice-cream filling of the sandwich before taking a few delicate bites of the cookie layer. Stiles felt his cheeks flare red and an irrational pang of jealousy towards the ice cream novelty. He’d seen Derek eat these a dozen times and never had this kind of effect on him. Shifting slightly in the seat, he clenched himself to keep from leaking out and giving away to everyone in the truck exactly how far gone he was right now. This heat was hitting him harder than most, save for the ones in early days. 

The next storage locker was at the bus station, and it was simply an oversized locker. Nodding to the night staff, Stiles retrieved a slightly smaller bag. Zipping it open it contained his clothes and scent blocker ingredients. Grabbing one of the containers of it, he dabbed a bit more down below to hopefully mask the scent of his building want from everyone’s noses. Heading back to the truck, he threw it under the tonneau cover and directed them to one of the storage sites on the east side of town. Pulling into that site, he retrieved bags three and four. Cash and food stuffs. Giving them the directions to the last site, he looked casually out the back window and turned back to Erica.

“We’re being followed.”

“Noticed that too huh Batman?”

Hearing Derek growl under his breath, Stiles placed a hand on Derek’s knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Only one person by the looks of things unless one of you can see or smell something I can’t.”

“Wind’s blowing the wrong way, but at most there’d be two in there. Just drop me off down one of the side aisles and I’ll make my way to the unit. It’s a custom combination lock. 17-9-41. My Jeep is in there and the last bag is in the back. The battery is disconnected, the hood it up. All you have to do it reconnect it. Keys are under the floor mat. Be ready in case I come running.”

Derek looked over at Stiles as he repeated the combination to make sure he had it, and Kira nodded, given that she had a talent with electrical systems.

“That combination…”

“I was 17 when my parents were killed. It was September. They were…”

“41,” Kira whispered softly. 

Derek felt his heart drop into his stomach as quiet fell over them. Turning into the site, they made sure the electric gate swung shut behind them, making sure no vehicle followed them immediately. Dropping Stiles off down what was essentially the wrong aisle, Erica’s truck drove around the corner, remarkably quiet in the hush of the evening. Tuning his hearing to pick up the most minute shifts, he heard two sets of feet slide into step behind him as he walked down the aisle. The wind shifted and he flared his nostrils. They had a scent on them like Alphas, but he could tell it wasn’t their scent. Taking a deeper breath, he exhaled it slowly. Omegas.

“Gentlemen. To what do I owe this honour.”

Stiles turned around and saw identical twins facing him. Their stature was tall and intimidating, not that Stiles was exactly short or reedy. Their matching sneers and the fact they weren’t even trying to hide their claws was telling in and of itself. They each wore a collar around their neck, which was an antiquated way of claiming an Omega, and the charm on both of them was identical. The brothers looked like they were claimed by an Alpha, but given the intricate pattern, it could even be an Alpha Pair.

“You’re coming with us,” the twin on the right intoned with great severity.

Stiles snickered and shook his head. If he did that, he’d never be heard from again, that much he could guarantee. He still couldn’t figure out what the point would be in killing him. He didn’t quite get what the point was of killing his parents either. Someone was sending a message, he got that much, that people supporting Omega equality were being punished…but why kill him?

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“Please. Don’t…don’t make this harder than it is.” The twin on the left didn’t quite have the same grasp on his nerves as his brother, that much was obvious. Righty saw this as his duty, likely told that by his Alpha. Lefty kept looking at his brother to take the lead. While that didn’t mean that it would be an easy fight if it came down to it, one thing his Dad always taught him was that it was easier to take someone out if there weren’t into the fight in the first place. 

“Harder for who? Because I’m not the one yanking your leash, and something tells me these aren’t the only collars you have.”

Righty went red and growled low in his chest. Wolf. 

“Aiden…”

That’s one name down. Righty was Aiden.

“You’re an unbound Omega Mr. Stilinski and that won’t do. Come with us, peacefully. Our Mates just want to talk to you.”

This time it was Stiles turn to growl, though his fox nature made it more of a yip than a growl. No way in hell was he going to go with them before, and it was getting even less and less likely now. Feeling the nervous energy flood his body from being this close to his heat, he knew he’d be feeling like shit run over twice in the morning. But right now he intended on using what he had and not calling out for help.

“Not. Going. To. Happen.”

Aiden reached into the back of his jeans and pulled out a tranquilizer gun and aimed it square at his chest. Tucking into a forward roll, Stiles was on his feet and grabbed Aiden’s wrist holding the gun with his left hand. Spinning in quickly, he jabbed up and back with his right elbow and caught him in the nose. Feeling the cartilage break from the blow, the smell of blood followed by an angry bark followed shortly thereafter. Squeezing Aiden’s wrist tightly, he dropped the gun. Ducking down to retrieve it, Stiles tossed him over his shoulder and grabbed the gun at the same time. 

Not for the first time in his life was he glad his parents made him learn how to defend himself, and how to fight. Looking down the sight of the tranquillizer gun, he pulled the trigger twice. Aiden looked at the darts in his chest and growled before his eyes rolled back in his head. Turning the gun at Not-Aiden, Stiles heard a truck and Jeep coming around the corner. Suddenly back lit, he looked at Not-Aiden with a smirk.

“Sorry about this. Nothing personal. You understand that right. Purely business. Sit down Not-Aiden. Unless you want to fall and possibly break something like your brother.”

“Ethan.”

The sound Stiles made was less than kind. As Ethan sat down, he pulled the trigger twice more, watching the wolf slip into unconsciousness. Tucking the tranquilizer gun in his belt, he pulled the darts out of Ethan and Aiden’s chests, carefully placing them in the compartment that held the jack for his Jeep. 

Smiling a small smile, he was happy to see that they’d covered the license plates before coming out. Erica’s truck was common enough in town that the make, model and colour wouldn’t help them out. Hopping in the passenger seat of the Jeep, he looked over at Derek who had a bit of a shocked expression on his face. Stiles, panting from exertion and a bit of adrenaline, grins wickedly at Derek before boldly grabbing his leg above the knee, giving just a little tease of his claws.

“Now would be a good time to drive Derek. We have to make sure they can’t follow us too easily. Kira riding with them?”

Derek merely nodded while Stiles put on his seatbelt. After a while, Stiles made an anonymous call at the closest payphone detailing that there were two people who were ranting and raving near the storage lots, and likely needed to be brought in. He knew enough of the terms to drop over the phone to get them picked up on a mental health call rather than public intoxication. Looking at the two wallets he’s picked up, the lack of ID would make it take an extra day or so on top of the psyche evaluation for them to get out. Enough of a head start to get them at least part way back home. 

“So…”

“So.”

“You want to help me through my heat.”

Derek felt his mouth go a little dry, but he nodded his head anyway. Fixing an analytical gaze on Derek, he thought long and hard about what to say next.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with putting a feather in your cap about taking my virginity does it.”

Derek nearly swerved into oncoming traffic, or he would have if there WERE any oncoming traffic.

“No! God. No. You don’t have to…I mean we don’t have…Ugh. After your heat passes you’ll still be a virgin if that’s what you want.”

“But what do you want? What’s in it for you?”

Derek’s ears turned bright red, the blush on his cheeks all but glowing in the low light.

“I really like you Stiles.”

“I know that.”

“I want to help you…”

“You’ve said that.”

Derek gripped the steering wheel tightly enough that the leather creaked.

“I want to make you feel good.”

“I can get a vibrating plug for that.”

Derek growled under his breath, more at himself than anything. Stiles wasn’t letting him get away with his usual deflection methods.

“Stiles I…I want to be the one to make you feel good, and relaxed, and safe okay. I want to hold you in my arms and be there for you however you want me to be because you want me to be. If you don’t want me there or around or even near you for your heat, or ever again, then I respect that and I’ll go. If you want to have sex with me, I would love to have sex with you. If you want to and say stop, then we stop, but I want to be there for you Stiles because I know you don’t need me to be there, but I’m hoping you would want me to be there for you.”

That was the longest statement he had ever made about his feelings about anything other than steak houses and wine pairings.

Stiles for his part smiled, taking one of Derek’s hands in his own. Kissing the knuckles, then the palm of his hand, he bit, just barely, the inside of Derek’s right wrist. The sound the wolf made was almost pornographic. Not saying a word, he gently suckled Derek’s middle finger, making him whine just a little bit.

“Condoms.”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

Pulling into the all night pharmacy, Derek was in and out almost faster than what could have been legal. In truth he had grabbed a box, tore off the UPC and threw it and an almost obscene amount of money on the counter before running out the door. He knew he’d left a sizeable amount of change behind, but he really didn’t care. Back in the driver’s seat, Derek looked over at Stiles, his nose flaring as he took in the scent that pervaded the Jeep.

“You’re not wearing your blocker anymore are you.”

“Took it off so you could smell me. What do I smell like to you Derek.”

“Meadows. Rain.”

“And…”

Derek narrowed his eyes. How was it that Stiles always knew he was holding something back.

“Mine. You smell like mine.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "May...can I..."
> 
> Derek found himself turning tomato red.
> 
> "What is it?"
> 
> "If you're okay...I really want...that is if you're okay with...I'd really like to knot you."
> 
> His voice was so small, as though afraid of being laughed at. Stiles nudged his face up to look at him, a smile on his face.
> 
> "I would love that."

They made haste to Erica and Boyd's house, barely acknowledging anyone as they rushed through the house, Stiles' legs wrapped around Derek's waist, barely taking time to breathe or even open the door to the guest room. In a far off distant part of their brain, they heard the front door close, and Erica, Boyd and Kira talking about going to the movies and maybe staying out all night. Stiles didn't care, focussing more on the Alpha he had squeezed between his thighs.

Derek looked up at Stiles, kissing and licking his way across a cluster of moles and freckles on his jaw line, playfully nipping at them, and growling happily at the little moans of encouragement Stiles was giving him. Laying out on his back so Stiles was on top, Derek smiled a drunken smile at the position he was in. Hand gently caressing under Stiles' t-shirt, teasing at the line of hair that traced along his abdomen, Derek reached up towards the thick patch between Stiles' pecs. Growling in appreciation, Derek couldn't help but grin. Omegas had been told since they were young to keep themselves reasonably free of body hair, only allowing for a small amount to give their Alphas something to scent into. The feel of the coarseness of the hair Derek was threading between his fingers set his heart racing, wanting to lave his tongue through it to collect the taste of Stiles scent on his tongue and swallow it down. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Derek's voice was heavy with desire, and even though he wasn't the one in heat, Stiles was pushing him towards his own Time just by being here. Derek had every intention of checking in with Stiles all the way through this. As eager as Stiles seemed to be now, Derek wanted to make sure he enjoyed himself, and didn't do anything he didn't want to.

Stiles gave him a devilish grin, nodding his head as he ground himself against Derek's hardness. He could feel himself starting to leak his slick from between his legs, coupled with the pre-cum he knew he was leaking as well.

"I'm sure. Thank you."

Derek sat up, pressing a kiss to Stiles lips, before pulling the slimmer man's shirt off over his head. Immediately burying his face in the hair on Stiles' chest, he drew in a deep breath before licking and sucking at the skin beneath. Turning his head one way, he gently captured Stiles nipple between his teeth, applying just a little pressure, while carefully pinching the other. At Stiles wordless urging, he increased the pressure and darted out his tongue to taunt and tease the bud of flesh. Stiles rutted against Derek, holding his head tight, keeping him there while he slowly and carefully worked both nipples, alternating between them with fingers, lips, teeth and tongue. After a few cycles of alternating back and forth, Stiles felt his back arch as the wave of orgasm wracked his body, causing him to release a wave of slick into his pants, which started to seep through into Derek's.

Derek's nostrils flared at the sharpness of the scent, his pupils almost blown completely open. Groaning he pulled back, watching the rapidly shifting expression on Stiles' face. 

"You look beautiful when you do that. Do you want to do that again?"

Panting, Stiles looked up with a tired grin and nodded. It was the first of what was likely to be many released. Ordinarily he dealt with his heat by denying himself anything more than a few furtive hand jobs and a lot of cold showers. Pushing Derek back to lay down on the bed, Stiles stretched out on top of him, kissing him hungrily, letting a hand wander up Derek's shirt. Scratching his nails through the hair, and tracing Derek's abs, much the same way he had done to Stiles, he moaned in anticipation. Sliding down the bed he pulled at Derek's shirt, trying to get the offending fabric away. Watching as the muscles moved when Derek pulled the shirt the rest of the way off, he licked his lips at the broad expanse of muscle. Sniffing and scenting his way down Derek's chest, dipping a tongue in Derek's navel, he all but growled at the pants. Slapping Derek's hands away from the button on his jeans, Stiles stripped them off Derek in a few jerky and unsteady movements. Laying there, completely at easy with his body, Derek watched the expression on Stiles shift from bewilderment, to anticipation, to pure lust and desire. Gripping his throbbing erection, he traced a finger from base to tip, collecting some of the pre-cum on a finger. Raising an eyebrow in question, Stiles leaned forward and tentatively licked it off, eyes fluttering closed as his body was overwhelmed with sensation. He was still hypersensitive from his orgasm, that and his heat dialled everything up to 11. With the tip of his finger still in Stiles' mouth, Derek captured him in another kiss. Placing a hand on Stiles jeans, he ignored the mess, knowing full well that wasn't going to be the last of it.

"May I?"

Stiles bit his lip, but nodded his head. Sensing the hesitation, Derek pulled back his hand, instead caressing Stiles cheek.

"We don't have to if you're not ready."

"But you..."

Stiles pointed down at Derek's erection. Shaking his head.

"You are under no obligation to do anything about that. This is for you. About you. Tell me what you want."

There was a soft honesty to Derek's words. Feeling his heart skip a beat, Stiles took Derek's hand and guided it to undo the button. Blushing a little bit.

"I made a bit of a mess."

Derek smiled and nodded.

"I may have helped with that."

"I just don't want you to be disappointed..."

Derek shifted his weight to pull Stiles into a tight embrace. Pressing a chaste kiss to his temple, he smiled into the younger man's hair.

"You are the most beautiful man I've seen Stiles. I won't be disappointed. I promise you."

Pressing a kiss against Stiles lips, he let the other man set the pace. Letting him take his hand, Derek slowly unbuttoned Stiles' jeans, before carefully pulling them off. Leveraging himself up, he looked at the expanse of Stiles' body, and felt his fangs drop into place. Growling a raw growl, he preened slightly at the sight of Stiles' renewed erection bouncing at the sound. 

"You look so good. I...may I taste you."

Whatever it was in how he said it seemed to have resonated with Stiles. The slight scent of apprehension was replaced with desire. Nodding his head, Stiles teased himself with his hand until Derek moved the hand away. Taking down his length, Derek was mindful to not catch his fangs on anything, while licking and sucking at the taste stuck to Stiles cock. Moving slowly as though he had nowhere else to be, Derek traced Stiles' slick soaked entrance with his thumb, pressing against it carefully before changing to a different finger to allow for more controlled penetration. Pressing one digit in, he stopped moving while Stiles grew accustomed to it. As his body relaxed, Derek release Stiles throbbing cock from his mouth.

"You look so beautiful Stiles. Thank you for letting me be here with you."

He all but whispered his words, not trusting himself to speak too loudly. Licking and nibbling the inside of Stiles thighs he smiled at the wanton moaning this was causing. Slipping a second finger in, he stroked carefully to make sure to hit the pleasure centre that would eventually help with fully releasing Stiles' heat and bring him down from his seasonal need. 

"Mark me."

Stiles groan was hoarse but the words were unmistakeable.

"You su-"

"If you ask me if I'm sure again I'm gonna be pissed."

Derek couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. Stiles also chuckled, until Derek nipped a bit harder at the flesh on the inside of his thigh, causing him to moan a few choice words of encouragement. Looking up, and making sure he had Stiles' eye contact, he swept the area one last time with his tongue before biting down. Feeling the tender flesh give way to his teeth, the tang of blood hit his tongue, and the scent of another orgasm from Stiles filled the air. Carefully pulling back his teeth, he immediately set about licking and kissing the mark on his inner thigh. It would take a few days to fully heal, and already he knew there would be a scar.

Sliding his fingers out, he took a look in Stiles eyes.

"More?"

"Yes. Please."

Sliding a third finger in, he carefully continued to stretch Stiles out to accommodate him. Moving up to kiss Stiles, the taste of Stiles cock and blood still fresh on his lips, he cradled Stiles closer while he continued to work him open with his fingers.

"May...can I..."

Derek found himself turning tomato red.

"What is it?"

"If you're okay...I really want...that is if you're okay with...I'd really like to knot you."

His voice was so small, as though afraid of being laughed at. Stiles nudged his face up to look at him, a smile on his face.

"I would love that."

Derek couldn't keep the smile from his face if he tried. Feeling Stiles grasp him, he bucked wildly in his hand. He knew that the initial, pre-knotting orgasm wasn't going to take long. Stiles was pushing every single button he didn't realize he had. Sure, he'd played around a bit when he was younger, as all Alphas were encouraged to do, but he'd never found anyone who stirred his blood the same way Stiles did. Pressing a hungry kiss to Stiles' throat, then in the hollow behind his ear, before nibbling his earlobe. Reaching over tot he side of the bed, he retrieved one of the ridiculously overpaid condoms that he'd selected specifically if Stiles was willing to let him knot him. It would expand to accommodate him, and as he poured out more in Stiles' tightness, they were supposed to accommodate for that as well. Taking Stiles hand, he had his lover roll the protection down on him, and carefully lined up with Stiles' slick soaked entrance.

Turning Stiles so his back was against his chest, Derek nipped at Stiles neck, causing him to shiver a little and buck against Derek's hardness. Sliding in slowly, letting Stiles get accustomed to his length and girth, he gently stroked the hair between Stiles pecs, while scenting his neck, muttering words of endearment and comfort. Stiles was close enough to hear that Derek meant every word he said, making Stiles blush in embarrassment and appreciation in equal measure. Pressing further in, Derek traced a hand across Stiles abdomen, feeling the hardness of the muscle beneath his fingers.

"You are so beautiful to me Stiles."

Gasping as Derek pressed the rest of the way in, rest with Stiles pressed flush against his groin, Stiles clenched tightly around Derek's member. Pressing kisses against his shoulders, leaving playful hickeys and bites on the tender skin, Derek moved against, drawing back and pressing in again, a bit faster this time. At Stiles moans of encouragement, he started moving faster and faster, reaching around to pull off Stiles in the same rhythm. Stiles turned his head, kissing Derek the best he could at the angle they were at, having long given up on using words to communicate. 

"Stiles. I'm...I'm gonna..."

Feeling Stiles reach back and pull him in tightly, Derek let out a howl loud enough to rattle the windows while he came undone in Stiles' depths. Feeling the swell of his knot push forward, he pulled Stiles back on it, feeling Stiles spill over on his hand at the intrusion of his knot in his body. Full body shaking, he wrapped himself around Stiles protectively, feeling the world go a little fuzzy around the edges. Pressing a flurry of kisses along the back of Stiles neck, he sighed contentedly.

"Are you okay Stiles?"

"Mmmhmmm."

"Sleepy?"

"Mmmhmmm."

Snickering softly, he pulled the duvet that was folded at the head of the bed down to cover them, nesting into the blankets in a world that smelled exclusively of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first A/B/O series and my first sex scene within. Be gentle in the comments.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Okay you two. Sappy time is done. Get up. Get showered. Get dressed. We are burning daylight and even with trading drivers and going straight through, we have about 30+ hours in a car to get where we're going."
> 
> Erica gathered the bedding in her hands, giving it a firm yank, exposing the newly mated pair in their nudity. They were all Weres in the room and nudity wasn't as taboo as it was with their human friends, but there was something about the wicked grin Erica was giving Stiles.
> 
> "He may not aim to hurt you Stiles, but I'd be surprised if he didn't at least make you walk funny for a week with that thing."
> 
> Derek hid his face behind Stiles, who dutifully threw a shoe at the retreating blonde's back, cackling all the way.

At some point during the evening they had separated, but didn’t move too far from each other. Derek disposed of the condom and returned to the bed with warm cloths to clean up Stiles, inspecting to make sure he didn’t cause any damage that would be delayed healing. Without much in the line of talking, Stiles opened himself again to Derek, enjoying a more lazy coupling as the sky started to lighten for the day. While this one didn’t end with Derek knotting Stiles, it instead allowed them to face each other, and exchange gentle kisses as they tumbled over the edge to their releases. Stiles’ heat had passed almost as quickly as it had come, leaving him more level headed than he had felt in days. This also left them in a better position to depart sooner rather than later. 

Kissing Derek’s throat, Stiles hummed softly as Derek nuzzled his nose under Stiles jaw. Tilting his head back, he looked deeply into Derek’s eyes, Derek's expressive eyebrows twitching with a question. Nodding his head slightly, Stiles tilted his head further back, letting Derek lick the side of his neck.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Not just because of last night?”

“I’m sure Derek.”

Derek allowed his fangs to elongate before firmly biting Stiles neck in an obvious mating bite. Feeling the delicate flesh give way to the intrusion, Stiles bit his lip to keep from crying out. There was pain and more than a little pleasure stirring from the bite. Feeling Derek's breath on the new wound, he shivered as Derek licked at the wound to keep it clear while he healed. Gently tracing the raised white bumps that showed Stiles was fully claimed as his mate, Derek exposed the long line of his own throat to Stiles with a smile. It was customary for the Omega to wear some kind of claiming mark, but it wasn't always so with the Alpha in the relationship. Not one to be asked twice, Stiles felt the pinpricks of his own teeth sharpening into their fox form. While not as large as Derek's fangs, they were definitely a bit sharper. Something Stiles worked on in his own time. 

Finding the pulse point on Derek's throat, he carefully went in for the bite, moaning as the strong and sharp taste of Derek's flesh and blood invaded his mouth. Without thinking, he positioned himself in Derek's lap, allowing his now fully bonded mate to enter his body, while his teeth were still in Derek's neck, separating only when Derek had taken his pleasure from Stiles body, and then brought him to his own twice again.

Separating, they smiled dozily at each other, looking at the clock. They had to get up and be on the road soon. Maybe enough time for coffee. Definitely enough to stop at Tim Horton's on their way out of town. Hearing the knock on the door, Stiles ducked under the blanket with Derek to hide their total nakedness before Erica came bouncing in like she owned the place. It dawned on them a half second later that she did indeed own the place. As she draped herself over the foot of the bed, the look on her face screamed that she knew what they had been doing pretty well all night.

"Wedded and bedded all in one night. Way to go Batman!"

Stiles blushed red right down to his navel. Erica swivelled her head to look at Derek with an evil little smile.

"You hurt our boy and I'll have a nice Alpha skin rug for the living room."

Derek also flushed red before looking sheepishly over at Stiles.  
"I don't think Stiles would be the one getting hurt. He's...he's stronger than I am."

Erica appeared to accept that as the RIGHT answer, which left Stiles more than a little confused. While he was certainly no slouch physically, Derek was leaps and bounds beyond him in terms of physical prowess. He was an Alpha werewolf for the creator's sake, and Stiles was an Omega werefox. Pushes for equality aside, and pushing himself to get stronger notwithstanding, there was simple biology to consider as well. 

"Hold up. What do you mean I'm stronger than you. Clearly you have a LOT more going on than I do, or that I ever could."

"I don't mean physically Stiles. Although, you're fast, agile, and could run me into the ground." Derek tapped Stiles' chest, right above his heart.

"Here Stiles. You're so much stronger here. You lost your family, your entire life, and you're still here and ready to take the fight back home. If rolls were reversed. If I lost my family, my home. I don't know that I'd be strong enough to face it without some serious issues coming with me."

Stiles was silent for a long moment before reluctantly letting the words soak in to him. Chewing his bottom lip, he merely shrugged.

"I'm not planning on hurting you Derek. Ever. So I don't know why we're even still on this."

Erica rolled her eyes and flipped off the bed.

"Okay you two. Sappy time is done. Get up. Get showered. Get dressed. We are burning daylight and even with trading drivers and going straight through, we have about 30+ hours in a car to get where we're going."

Erica gathered the bedding in her hands, giving it a firm yank, exposing the newly mated pair in their nudity. They were all Weres in the room and nudity wasn't as taboo as it was with their human friends, but there was something about the wicked grin Erica was giving Stiles.

"He may not aim to hurt you Stiles, but I'd be surprised if he didn't at least make you walk funny for a week with that thing."

Derek hid his face behind Stiles, who dutifully threw a shoe at the retreating blonde's back, cackling all the way.

***

Coordinating 5 people to get on the road was difficult enough. The situation made even worse when Stiles' Jeep wouldn't start. It didn't look like foul play was involved, but they didn't want to take any risks. Delaying their departure by a couple more hours, he had made arrangements to ship the Jeep to California, and get it delivered to the Sheriff's station back home. He'd sent a discreet message to Parrish to expect it.

Moving all the bags into the truck, Stiles broke radio silence with Braeden and got confirmation of which nearby border crossing to use, and when to pull through the wicket to make sure it was one of her more trusted contacts. It took some careful coordination, but he didn't want to risk getting some search happy agent eager to look in 5 large black duffel bags. One held enough weaponry to invade a small country, and another held enough currency to tempt even the most honest of people to pinch a few thousand.

They'd decided to let him cross the border using the Mike Carrier identity, but Braeden was already starting the process to have him "Return from the dead," with Parrish putting together the documentation to prove mistaken identity. It wasn't going to be easy, but Stiles wanted to go back to HIS life, not an assumed life. 

Taking turns driving through the night, they stuck largely to open highways as it was easier to watch for someone following them. Periodically they were all too tired to drive so they pulled off in a truck stop and they took turns sleeping while a couple of them stayed up to keep an eye on things. A few times Derek and Stiles snuck off together, as did Boyd and Erica. Kira disappeared a couple times as well, always returning looking like a cat who got the cream, and in a much improved mood. 

They’d managed to luck out for the drive, no-one was following them, so they’d been able to see some of the corny roadside attractions, and eat enough junk food they were all collectively glad they were Shifters and not just Kin, thereby being able to burn off the disgusting number of calories they had been consuming on the drive. Stiles had been keeping track of the news from when they’d left Canada, and saw in the local paper that the Omegas he had dropped at the storage units had been retrieved by their Alphas. The newspaper wasted no time to declare that it was Kali and Ennis of Alphas First who had come to town to retrieve their ‘Wandering Omegas.’

The paper also wasted no time decrying the extremist organization who neither confirmed nor denied their involvement in some of the more violent anti-equality actions. There was a small handful of words relating to his parents as one of the more extreme and recent examples of what they’d been linked to. If they were an Alpha pair, then it stood to reason they had an Omega pairing, but judging by the clunky collars Ethan and Aiden were wearing, and the utilitarian leash that he could see in the photo, it wasn’t exactly a happy coupling. 

There were still a lot of archaic laws on the books regarding how Omegas could be treated. There were even still laws on the books that could allow for an Alpha to try and lay claim to another Alpha’s Omega if there wasn’t an actual marriage certificate. Mating bites didn’t mean the same. Given the historical unbalance in numbers between Alphas and Omegas it made a twisted sort of sense in antiquity. Less so now. 

As they’d detoured through Reno, Derek and Stiles opted for a quicky wedding, using the one piece of (technically fake) I.D. that had Stiles' real name on it. By no means was it lavish, and getting married by an Elvis impersonator certainly wasn’t what they’d wanted, but they weren’t going to risk being separate either in case it came to that. Looking at the ring on his finger, Stiles couldn’t help but smile at it though. Not quite the journey in life he’d intended to take, but then again, he kind of thought his parents would have been there to make his boyfriend sweat at the thought of dating a Sheriff’s kid, or that his Dad would awkwardly teach him how to waltz so he didn’t trip over his feet at his own wedding, or that his Mom would have taken him out shopping for wedding cake and HAVING to sample things 5 or 6 times because…you know…sugar. 

Stiles’ scent shifted a bit towards sadness, which prompted Derek to wrap an arm around his shoulders, and Erica to reach into the back seat to take his hand. Kira rested her head on Stiles’ shoulder, letting her cheek rest on the back of Derek’s hand, who in turn rubbed a knuckle on her cheek in thanks. Boyd turned in the front passenger seat and reached out to make contact with Derek. The energy in the truck shifted and Stiles felt himself lighten in the chest. He was still sad, but his heart wasn’t starting to feel that clenched pain he had come to recognize when he thought of his parents missing out on yet another milestone. Sighing, Stiles took Derek’s other hand, and rested his cheek on the crown of Kira’s head. 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Just…wishing my Mom and Dad were here. I think they’d have been really happy we got married. Maybe not being so young, but there’s reasons for it of course. Feeling guilty that I’m so happy, because it doesn’t feel like I should be, and at the same time, feeling guilty for not regretting one second of our time together because it’s the happiest I’ve been since they were killed and I had to run. I’m just…all over the map.”

There was a murmuring of agreement in the cab of the truck, as though it made sense to the entire group. Driving in silence, they saw the sign saying they were only 130 miles from Beacon Hills. What should have been a three day drive had turned into nearly a week due to the sightseeing they had decided to do. The GPS happily pinging their way to Derek’s place, the Hales aware that they were coming in but would likely need to lay low for a few days before they attempted anything public. Feeling the tension relax, nearly everyone released the hold they had on Stiles, except of course for Derek.

Looking out the window, Kira smiled.

“Derek. What do your parents think about it?”

“About me and Stiles getting married? That’s not something you tell them over the phone Kira. Pretty sure they’ll be good with it considering if things went poorly they’d probably keep Stiles and boot me out.”

Stiles chuckled and kissed Derek’s jaw.

“No. Not that. The baby?”

Erica did everything in her power to not run them off the road at that. Kira felt her cheeks go red, and the 4 pairs of glowing eyes turned her way did nothing to ease the tension.

“Kira…I’m not…I’m not pregnant.”

Kira’s eyebrow quirked in such a way that even Derek and his overly expressive eyebrows would be jealous of.

“Yes you are. I’d guess about a week or so now. You’ve been smelling like a nesting fox since we left Canada. Does…no one else smell that?”

The three wolves scented Stiles closely and could smell…something a little different.

“Foxes present as pregnant a lot faster than wolves and the scent shift is noticeable a lot sooner. Maybe only to Foxes and Kitsune by the looks of things.”

Stiles felt himself go pale, hand instinctively moving to his abdomen. 

“I…I thought you knew. Surprise?”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Stiles didn't miss was Talia subtly slipping Sam a $20 bill. Raising his eyebrows, Talia had the good sense to be a little embarrassed, if anything about being caught.
> 
> "We had a bet that Derek stayed away so long because of this Mike guy he kept talking about. I bet Sam that Derek would come back, maybe with a boyfriend. Sam bet he'd come back married or at least mated."
> 
> "So glad my love life is a matter of amusement to you."

"I don't care what you say Derek. It's not happening."

Stiles was fighting to keep the anger out of his voice as he stared at the box in his husband's hands, eyes glowing just a little bit in warning. The rational part of his mind was a bit appalled at his current behaviour, but he was livid.

"But Stiles...sweetheart."

"Oh don't sweetheart me, sweetheart. It. Is. Not. Happening."

"But..."

"I'm NOT peeing on a stick in a gas station bathroom to find out if I'm pregnant. If I'm going to find out I'm pregnant, I'd like to at least pee on a stick in a room that DOESN'T reek of hundreds of people missing their target!"

Derek drew the box of pregnancy tests back to his chest and looked down at them. Stiles wasn't denying TAKING the test. The venue just wasn't his preference. Putting it back in the shopping bag, he reluctantly nodded, though he could now see Stiles point, especially now that he'd actually MADE his point.

"Okay. I see your point. Probably not the story we want to tell him or her when they're old enough to want to know. We're not far from Mom and Dad's place so...their master bathroom more appropriate? It has heated floors and gets cleaned daily?"

Stiles shrugged, still looking miserable, but at least he nodded. Remembering from health class, some classes of shifters were more prone to hormone swings than others when pregnant, and some were more prone earlier on than others. Omega Male, and Fox was on the higher end of susceptible to early and large hormone swings than most. The fact he was pregnant by a Wolf shifter didn't help. It was a 50/50 chance of their child being wolf or fox, though he was already leaning on wolf. 

"Fine. Yes. Now. Lets see if Erica will let us into the truck to finish the drive."

Casting a telling glance at the blonde, she flicked the switch to unlock the doors and smiled innocently as though she hadn't been cowering at the explosive conversation that had just happened. Swinging himself in, he wedged himself in between Kira and Derek. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he sniffed at Kira.  
"Kitsune huh? Thought you could just slip that in and hope we would be distracted by my alleged pregnancy?"

Kira turned an appropriate shade of red hoping that the information would be breezed over.

"So...how old are you actually?"

"95..."

This opened a whole can of worms that Stiles blessedly jumped on to distract himself from the quasi-full bladder he'd have to maintain for the test, and the sudden feeling of nerves at the fact that he, at 18, was likely going to become a parent MUCH before he intended. 

While he wasn't entirely thrilled with this sudden turn of events, he was quickly making his peace with it. At least he was married to someone whom he loved, and loved him. He could challenge his exams and get his high school diploma, or his GED easily enough. He'd take some distance education courses for a few years until he could finish his degree and then get a job, the same as he'd intended, just a little out of order from what he'd originally intended. 

Feeling himself relax as they turned off the main road and started up towards Hale House, he momentarily allowed himself to be transported back to when he was barely older than a Kit himself. He'd always loved visiting the Hales when he was a kid. Talia always snuck him cookies to Claudia's chagrin, but his mom never made him hand the treats over. Age wise he landed between Cora and Derek, but he remembered playing with her when she was just a toddler, and following Derek around with a bit of hero worship. Feeling Derek squeeze his hand and bring him back to present day, he looked at the soft look in Derek's eyes, and felt him vibrating in anticipation. Derek was home. In a sense, he was now too. 

Seeing the Sheriff's van in the driveway, as well as Braeden's, Erica pulled over into what was basically a parking lot for the house. Derek's family was massive and they all lived here. As everyone slid out of the vehicle, Derek took the lead, pulling Stiles to walk side by side with him. Interlacing their hands, Derek pressed a gentle kiss to his beloved's temple before looking up at the house. Before he could shout a word of warning, Derek found himself practically buried under what could only be figured as his siblings, all of them trying to get their hands on their brother who had been gone for over a year. 

Feeling a heavy hand on his shoulder, Stiles turned away from Derek who was asking for help to get unburied, and Stiles wasn't about to interrupt the reunion. Looking up the arm and into a pair of familiar eyes, Stiles felt his bottom lip quiver. Braeden pulled him into a tight hug, face about to betray the emotions she was trying to hide. Smelling Jordan move in beside him and wrapping him in a hug, he let himself dissolve into tears. This prompted a very unamused growl from Derek whose siblings stepped away immediately. Crossing the few steps to his upset mate, Braeden and Jordan didn't release him until Derek was firmly wrapped around them. Braeden bowed her head in respect to Derek being Stiles' mate.

"My apologies Mr. Hale. It's just..."

Derek curbed the instinct to snarl at the other Alpha. He knew she wasn't a challenge. He knew the woman was a friend of Stiles' family, and only one of a few to boot. Nodding his understanding, he couldn't begin to understand what they had probably been going through, doing what they could from a distance to keep Stiles safe. It couldn't have been easy. Or legal if he thought about it. The sheer volume of unregistered weapons Stiles possessed and fake ID was a felony waiting to happen. 

"I understand. He's Stiles."

As though that explained everything. Maybe it did. Waving Kira, Erica and Boyd forward, Derek introduced the two Betas to his siblings. Laura, the eldest naturally, then Cora who was the next after Derek. Also his twin brothers Eric and Andrew, and twin sisters Elisa and Tara. Stiles introduced them to Braeden and Parrish, who thanked them profusely for keeping Stiles safe, even if they didn't know they were. 

On the porch, Derek's parents called for everyone to get back in the house. Talia and Samuel waited for their children and the law enforcement to get back inside.

"Laura, can you show Erica, Boyd and Kira to their rooms please and set out the trays for lunch? You have to be starving after that trip and gas station food isn't a way to live."

Leaving Derek and Stiles standing there, Stiles was very conscious of the fact he badly needed to use the washroom, but he also wasn't about to bolt in. The test was tucked in his back pocket, hidden by his shirt. Looking up at his in laws, he felt Talia and Samuel look at his neck, and look at his hand. Tilting his jaw up, almost defiantly, he let them take a long look at the scar from the mating bite. Derek lifted his chin so they could see his as well. 

What Stiles didn't miss was Talia subtly slipping Sam a $20 bill. Raising his eyebrows, Talia had the good sense to be a little embarrassed, if anything about being caught.

"We had a bet that Derek stayed away so long because of this Mike guy he kept talking about. I bet Sam that Derek would come back, maybe with a boyfriend. Sam bet he'd come back married or at least mated."

"So glad my love life is a matter of amusement to you."

Talia shrugged. Sam snickered. The tension was at least broken. Stiles smiled at the easy acceptance Talia and Sam seemed to have, and how quickly he could hear his friends being integrated into the Hale Pack warmed his heart. Letting Talia pull him into a hug, there was something soothing about the maternal care that radiated from her. If Stiles weren't already on the borderline of crying, this would have done it. As it was, he felt himself tip over the edge of his emotional control, and found himself taking great gasping breaths, sobbing openly in the arms of his husband's mother. Feeling Talia run her hands gently through his hair the way that his own mother used to, he gave up any pretence of decorum and just let himself cry. Sam wrapped his arms around Stiles and Talia, Derek enveloping him from behind. Stiles had lost his parents. Talia and Sam had lost their friends. For the longest time they thought they'd lost Stiles too.

"Oh you poor boy. You poor sweet boy. I'm so sorry for your loss Stiles. Your parents...it wasn't fair. You poor man."

Stiles just let himself be held, made safe and secure. He knew they were also marking him with their scent. Drawing him into their family. Sam nuzzled the top of Stiles' head, the way he would one of his own children, before jerking his head back a little.

"Not to ruin the moment but...Tal...I think you owe me another $50."

Talia, through puffy tear stained eyes glanced at her husband and took a deeper sniff.

"Boys. Is there something you need to tell us?"

Stiles, wiping his eyes with the hem of his shirt shrugged.

"Not sure. But I'm full to bursting and have a stick that SOMEONE tried insisting I use in a gas station."

Taking the opportunity to slip past Talia and Sam, he made his way to the bathroom, laughing slightly at Talia's incredulous tone. 

"A gas station! Derek Samuel Hale you do NOT ask your mate to do a pregnancy test in a gas station!"

Laughing to himself Stiles took care of the most pressing issue and took the test. The treacherous plastic with indicator wasted no time in displaying a positive sign with a two digit code. Reading the back and finding the code, it was a code for if you were not plain human, or Beta. Werefox/Kitsune/Selkie: 7 to 10 days. Human: 3-4 weeks. He ignored the other species. Snapping the cap back on it because, it WAS covered with relatively fresh urine, he washed his hands and wiped down the outside with an alcohol wipe. Flushing the toilet and sitting on the edge of the bathtub, he lifted his shirt and stared down at the hard won dips in his abs. Smiling a little, he rubbed his hand over what would become a swollen belly before too long.

"Hi there little one. I can't wait to meet you."

His voice was barely above a whisper. Pulling his shirt down, he washed his face, and when he decided he couldn't delay it any longer because Derek would be beating down the door, he stepped out of the bathroom, to find everyone crowded into the hallway. Handing Derek the stick, he smiled sheepishly as the realization and solid proof cemented it in his mind, he found himself being gingerly encircled by Derek's arms.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"We're gonna be Daddies?"

Stiles sniffed, a fresh set of tears falling. Nodding his head, he couldn't help but smile.

"We're gonna be Daddies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww. Everything is going so well!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into A/B/O type of writing, but I figured I would give it a shot. Be GENTLE with the commentary. First time around this barbeque. If I totally screw up something, assume it falls under the tag "Non-Traditional."
> 
> Feedback, comments and kudos are my drug. Please send me a hit. LOL.


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